Class 




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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




DANIEL AND THE LIONS. 



T3 



eautiful Stories 





from the 



Good Old Book. 



BY 
Isabel C. 
Byrtim. 



The good old Book, so pure and true, 
Is filled with stories old^yet naw^ . 
To old and young they may be told, 
New beauties will to both unfold. 



Illustrated. 



MOUNDSVILLE. W. VA. 

GOSPELlTRUMPET^'COMPANY. 

1904. 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 


Two Copies 


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Copyright, 1904, 

BY 
ISABEL C. BYRUM. 







BEAUTIFUL STORIES 
From the Good Old Book. 




Children are children. 

We've heard people say; 
They all like a story . 

Told fresh ev'iy day. 
It may not be lengthy, 

It may not be grand ; 
But it must be simple, 

If they understand. 
So, then, tell them stories, 

But be sure thej^'re true; 
Just take your dear Bible, 

And give a review. 
Their young hearts so tender 

Will soon be inclined 
To take their o\vn Bible, 

These stories to find. 
Just tell them of Adam, 

Of Abel and Cain; 
Then tell them of Noah, 

How God sent the rain; 
And then take up Abram, 

That dear man of old. 





Who showed, when God proved him, 

A heart of pure gold; 
Next Jacob and Judah — 

'Tis through them descends 
Our dear loving Savior, 

The best of all friends. 
And so tell the stories, 

That each child may see 
How sin brought all sorrow 

On humanity. 
Oh, show them God's mercy 

And great, tender love 
In sending a Savior, 

His Son, from above. 
And tell them how Jesus 

Invites each dear child 
To come, seek salvation, 

In words sweet and mild. 
He said, ''Suffer children 

To come unto me; 
Of such is the kingdom 

Of heaven to be." 
And then, as you teach them 

The true, living way, 
Just show them how sin bids 

For souls ev'ry day. 
The sweet little children. 

With body and brain. 
Untarnished by evil. 

So free from all stain. 
Are placed by the Salesman 






Before a fierce crowd, 
Each longing to own them, 

And robe in his shroud. 
They see the sweet faces 

So innocent, pure, 
And then they endeavor 

These gems to secure. 

''We bid"— Pest and Famine— 

"For life and for limb. 
With fever and sickness, 

WeTl make their eyes dim. 
We'll nurse them and rock them 

In cradles our own, 
And we will be careful 

That none hear their moan." 

Then Beggary, howling. 

Says, "I'll buy them all. 
I'll teach them great lessons, 

To skulk and to crawl. 
They'll sleep in my lair. 

Decay in sunshine; 
In haunts full of sickness^ 

I'll force them to dine." 

Then Crime, stepping forward. 
With wolfish grin, said, 

"Oh, come! I'll bid higher: 
Each child shall be led 

In sin's pleasant pathway. 






No law shall they heed. 

With novels and folly 

Their young souls I '11 feed ; 
I'll teach them to covet, 

And then they will steal; 
And when they are older, 

The law they shall feel. 
The prison and gallows 

We find in our land — 
'Twere so wrong to let them 

In idleness stand. 
So give me the children, 

I'll feed them with care; 
And when life is ended, 

Ood's wrath they will share." 



i ; 



"Oh, shame!" cries Religion, 

So pure and so true ; 
"Oh, shame on your offers 

Of what you will do ! 
I'll take the dear children, 

I'll raise them for God; 
And they'll know their Savior 

And walk where he trod. 
I'll show them his footprints, 

And holes in his hand; 
And when they are older, 

Then they'll understand." 

Oh, let us take warning 
From this auction sale; 




l^ 




And bid little children 

So high Sin will fail! 
He'll not reach our figures; 

He'll leave in dismay, 
And seek other children, 

His craft to display. 
And let us endeavor 

To teach, in their youth, 
The sweet simple story 

Of Jesus and truth; 
And let us encourage 

Their young hearts so dear; 
For ''children are children," 

Be they far or near. 



This book has been written, 

In love and with prayer. 
For dear tired mothers 

With hearts full of care. 
They see their sweet children, 

And then hear them plead, 
"0 mother, a story 

Please tell or do read." 
'Twill help as they teach them 

The stories of old; 
And each one will please them, 

Though so often told. 
All homes will be brighter. 

With books of this kind 
To help to enlighten 

Each eager young mind. 





And thus they will early 
Be trained for the Lord, 

By hearing the stories 

From God's blessed Word. 





i % CONTENTS % ! 



Mm 



PAGE. 

The Creation 17 

The Temptation 19 

How Man Fell (Poem) 20 

The First Murder 22 

The Flood 24 

An Altar of Thanksgiving 26 

The Tower of Babel 30 

Abram and Lot 30- 

Lot's Trouble " 34 

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 35^ 

Sodom and Gomorrah (Poem) 36 

Abraham 's Sacrifice 37 

God's Will Was Done (Poem) 40- 

Faith and Obedience , 41 

Rebekah, Isaac 's Wife 42 

Esau and Jacob 44 

Isaac 's Sons (Poem) 44 

Isaac 's Blessing 45 

Jacob 's Dream 46 

Jacob 's Journey ( Poem ) 47 

Jacob and Rachel 48 

Jacob at His Uncle Labon 's ( Poem ) 50 

Jacob 's Return 50 

Joseph Is Hated 54 

Joseph Is Sold 55^ 

Joseph in Prison 56 

The King's Dream 59' 

(xi) 



xii CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Famine 61 

Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Jiicthrcii 63 

Israel Leaves the Land of Canaan 66 

God Cares for the Children of Israel 67 

'i'hc Children of Israel 68 

Moses Found 69 

Moses Leaves the House of Pharaoh 71 

Israel's Deliverer (Poem) 72 

The Burning Bush 74 

Signs Given to Moses 76 

Moses Returns to Egypt 78 

Moses and Aaron Visit Pharaoh 79 

More Signs Given 82 

The Passover and the Last Plague 83 

The Israelites Leave Egypt 87 

Crossing the Red Sea 88 

Great Rejoicing 90 

In the Wilderness 92 

God Helps in Every Time of Need 94 

■Jethro Visits the Children of Israel 96 

Mount Sinai 98 

Tlie Tabernacle 101 

The People Complain 104 

Spies Are Sent 106 

The Rebellion of Korah 109 

Aaron 's Rod 112 

The Forty Years ' Wandering 114 

Aaron 's Death 116 

Israel Marching to Canaan 117 

Balaam and the Angel 119 

In Sight of the Land of Promise 123 

Death of Moses 124 

Joshua Takes the Place of Moses 12') 

Crossing Jordan 128 

The City of Jericho 131 

The City of Ai 133 

Achan's Sin 134 

An Altar Is Built in :\rount Ebal 137 

Marching into Canaan (Poem) 130 



'T^ 



rp 



CONTENTS xm- 

PAGE 

The Men of Gibeon Deceive Israel 143 

Joslma Rescues Gibeon 4 144 

Joshua 's Work 146 

Joshua's Work and His Death 148 

The Children of Israel in Trouble 150 

Ehud and Shamgar 151 

Deborah and Barak 152 

Gideon Destroys Baal 153 

The Army of Gideon 154 

Jephthah 's Rash Vow 158 

Sanison and His Riddle 160 

Samson 's Strength 162 

Delilah's Deceit 164 

Blind Samson 168 

Ruth 170 

Ruth's Mission (Poem) 174 

Hannah's Prayer 176 

Eli and His Sons 178 

Death of Eli and His Sons 181 

The Ark of God in Philistia 182 

The Ark of God Returns 184 

Samuel, the Man of God 186 

The Story of Samuel 187 

Saul 188 

Saul Is Made King • 190 

Saul and His Son Jonathan 191 

Saul Is Rejected 193- 

King Saul (Poem) 196 

David Chosen Instead of Saul 203 

David Kills a Giant 206 

David Finds a Friend and an Enemy 210 

David's Friend 211 

David's Enemy ... 214 

Doeg the Edomite ...... 216 

Last Meeting o:£ David and Jonathan ....:....... 217 

Saul in David's Power 218 

Saul's Death 219 

King David 221 

Close of David's Reign 222" 



XIV CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Absolom and His Sad Death 224 

David's Death 226 

The Wisdom of Solomou 227 

Solomon's Work 229 

Visit of the Queen of Sheba 230 

Jeroboam and Rehoboam 231 

The Strange Prophet 233 

The Strange Prophet Is Slain 234 

A Sad Picture 236 

Asa and His Son Jehoshophat 238 

Elijah and King Ahab 240 

The Famine Ends 244 

Elijah Prays for Rain 246 

The Vineyard of Naboth 250 

Elijah 's Successor 251 

Elisha, the Man of God 256 

More About Elisha 259 

Jonah 263 

Job 267 

King Hezekiah 270 

Hezekiah Is Healed 273 

Jerusalem Is Captured 275 

Jeremiah 's Prophecy ; or, Story of the Figs 278 

Daniel Interprets the King's Dream 279 

The Fiery Furnace 280 

Four Brave Boys (Poem) 283 

The Proud King Nebuchadnezzar Is Humbled 289 

The Strange Writing on the Wall 290 

Daniel in the Den of Lions 293 

Something about Babylon 295 

■Queen Vashti Refuses to Obey the King 298 

Esthei' Becomes Queen 299 

Wicked Haman 302 

Ilaman Is Found Out 303 

King Jesus r . . . . . . . 306 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

FROM THE 

GOOD OLD BOOK. 




THe Creation. 



A GREAT many years ago this lovely earth where we live was 
not as we see it now. All was dark everywhere. The land was not 
separated from the water, hut the water covered all. When the earth 
was in this state, God^s Spirit moved upon the face of the waters, and 
he said, ^^Let there he light: and there was light"; and God called the 
light Day and the darkness Night. He did this on the first day. On 
the second God made the sky which we see up above the world, where 
the clouds are, and called it Heaven. On the third day he caused the 
waters to divide and leave dry land in some places. The land he called 
Earth and the water Seas. 

How lonely it must have been, even after all this had been done. 
But God did not intend to leave it thus. He caused grass to grow up out 
of the ground^ also the bushes and trees that have fruit on them, and 
that bear seed, so that when the seed fell on the ground it would grow. 
God did all this on the third day. On the fourth he made two great 
lights. The Sun, which was the largest and brightest, was to shine 
in the day time, and the Moon, at night. He made the stars also ; and 
these he placed in the sky, where we see them now. 

On the fifth day he made the great whales that live in the sea, 
and the fishes, and the birds. On the sixth day he made the animals, 
both great and small. He also created man, whom he called Adam, 
in his own image and likeness. He breathed into him the breath of 
life, and man became a living soul, so that he was different from every 



18 



BEAUTIFUL STOUIES 



other creature. (lod looked on everything that he had made, and, 
behold, it was very good. And on the seventh day he rested from 
mII his work 




ADAM AND KVE AMONG THE ANIMALS. 



God also made a beautiful garden, and planted every tiling in it 
that was good to eat or look at. In this garden he placed the man 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 19 

whom he had made. God also brought the animals and birds to him 
to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called every 
living creature, that was its name. 

One day God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and God 
took one of the ribs from Adam 's side and out of it formed a woman. 
Adam called her name Eve, and she became his wife. God would 
come down into the garden and talk with them. He liked to do this, 
for he loved them; and as he created them good, they had no sin in 
their hearts. So long as they obeyed him, he could dwell with them; 
and they were very happy. 



**##**###***### 



TKe Temptation. 

GOD had intended Adam and Eve to always be happy, but there 
was a great enemy called Satan. Satan came to Eve one day and 
tempted her to do something God had told her not to do. She told 
Satan what God had told Adam— that they would die if they diso- 
beyed; but Satan said God did not mean it that way. The woman 
listened and did what God had commanded her not to do. Next Adam 
was tempted and did wrong. Now both the people, who had been 
made in the image of God, that is, with pure hearts, were sinners. 

In the evening God came to see them. They heard him walking 
in the garden, but knew how wicked they had been, and they hid 
among the trees. When God called them, they answered; and when 
he questioned them, they confessed their sin. God was grieved and 
angry with them. He sent them both out of the beautiful garden, and 
placed angels and a fiery sword at the gate to keep any one from enter- 
ing again. Sin is the one thing that God hates. 

God told Adam and Eve, that since they had been so wicked the 
ground should not yield its fruit for them without their working hard 
to make it, but it should bear thorns and thistles ; that their bodies now 
should die as he had told them, and they should go back to dust, of 
which they had been made. Their souls which he had given them 
were to live. 



20 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



Truly this was a sad state of affairs. After having everything 
they wished, to be brought to this must have been hard indeed. But 
God prepared a way so that they might be spared any more punish- 
ment after death, and might receive bodies again when the time for 
this should come. He promised to send his dear Son as a Redeemer 
to suffer and die for their sins and for their children's also, so that if 
they repented of their sins and believed what God said, they should 
be saved and heaven should be their eternal home. 

O the wonderful mercy that God doth bestow 

On the sinful creation he left here below ! 

They were severed from heaven and lost in the night ; 

But in Jesus they're saved, if they will but do right. 

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How Man Fell. 



When Adam was created, 

So many years ago, 
His heart was pure as heaven, 

No sin did Adam know. 



But they would be enlightened 
And know things strange and new 

Thus Satan talked in Eden 
And told them things to do. 



God placed him in a garden. 

Which had been made most fair 
And in his care and keeping 

He placed all that was there. 



When Satan had ceased tempting, 
And there was planted in 

Their hearts, once pure as heaven, 
That cruel monster Sin, 



He gave a wife to Adam, 
To help him on his way; 

But in a careless moment 
God's word they disobey. 



They knew that God would punish. 
And knew they'd disobeyed; 

They hid within the garden. 
For now they felt afraid. 



'Twas Satan came and told them 

A wicked, wicked lie— 
That if of sin they tasted, 

God knew they'd never die, 



When God came there that evening, 
He drove them out the gate; 

He told them of the future 
And what should be their fate. 




p 



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22 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



No moi-e the ground should yield them, 
Its fruit without hard toil; 

For it should bring up thistles 
And thorns from out its soil. 

Their children should inherit 
Vile sin, which caused the fall ; 

And thus the sin of Adam 
Was passed upon us all. 



(iod sent another Adam, 
Down from his throne above: 

His own dear Son, our Savior, 
Who brought redeeming love. 

And as the sin of Adam 
Brought death to ev'ry one, 

Just so the death of Jesus 
Eternal life hath won. 



##«:#*#*#*#***«• 



The First Murder. 

AFTER Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of Eden, 
God gave tlieni children, so that when they died their children would 
live on the earth in their places. And so it was that their two sons 
Cain and Abel were born. 

Cain was a gardener and raised things to eat, while Abel was a 
shepherd and took care of sheep. Both of the boys, like their parents, 
had sinful hearts and would often do evil things; but Abel believed 
God and wanted to do what was right. 

One day Abel wanted to offer something to the Lord and he chose 
a lamb out of his flock and killed it and then burned it upon an altar 
made out of some stones. God was pleased with Abel for this, for 
the lamb seemed so much like the Savior that God had promised: it 
was gentle, patient, harmless, and innocent like Him, and God won- 
derfully blessed Abel for his offering or sacrifice. But Cain's offer- 
ing was different. He had a wicked, jealous heart and was not soriy 
for his sins. When he saw that God accepted Abel's sacrifice and did 
not accept his own, he became very angry with God and with his 
brother. One day when they were in the field together, Cain became 
so angry that he killed Abel, and thus the first murder was committed. 
Would to God it had been the last! 

Of course God knew it, for he knows everything that happens; 
and he asked Cain where Abel was. Cain at once told a lie, thus prov- 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK 



23 



ing the fact that sin was in his heart. He said he did not know where 
his brother was; but God said: ''Thy brother's blood crieth unto me 




from the ground. And now thou art cursed from the earth, which 
hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 



24 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

wiien thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee 
her strength/' 

Cain was very sorry then and said, ^^My punishment is greater 
than I can bear/' God would not take care of him any more, and 
sent him off into a country by himself. The Lord placed some kind 
of mark upon him, so that people would know that it was Cain and 
that they did not dare to kill him, even if they would like to; for 
God wanted to punish him in his own way. Oh, it is a dreadful thing 
to disobey God and to have his displeasure resting upon us ! It pays 
to do what is right. Cain's descendants were very veiy wicked. 

After Abel's death and Cain was sent away, God gave another 
son to Adam. His name was Seth. When Seth's son Enos was born, 
*Hhen began men to call upon the name of the Lord"; and we find 
that many of his descendants loved and trusted God. A man named 
Enoch was descended from Seth. It was said of him that he walked 
with God. This means that he loved God, thought of him, and kept 
near him all the time, doing his best to please him. Enoch did not 
die. God took him up to be with him while he still lived. 

Enoch had a son whose name was Methuselah. We do not know 
of any one who lived to be as old as Methuselah. He was nine hundred 
and sixty-nine years old when he died. 

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THe Flood. 

MANY years after Cain had killed his brother, a man named Noah 
was born. He was one of Seth's descendants. Noah loved God and 
tried to get the people also to love him. But, oh ! their hearts were so 
wicked! They did so many bad things that God was sorry that he 
had created man upon the earth. 

When God saw how much Noah loved him and how he tried to 
teach the people to love him, he loved Noah and said that he would 
save him, his wife, his three sons, and their wives, but that he was 
going to send rain upon the earth until everything else that was alive 
would be drowned. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



25 



He told Noah to build an ark, or large boat with a house on it 
that was three stories high. God showed him just how it should be 




made, and told him that when it was finished he was to take two of 
every kind of animals, birds, and creeping things into the ark and keep 
them there until the rain was all over. Noah believed that God would 



2G BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

do just as he said, so he went to work at once to build the ark. All 
the time when not working on it he was preaching to the people, trying 
to get them sorry for their sinful ways, that they might be saved also ; 
but they would not hear. 

Noah was an old man when he had finished building the ark. When 
it was completed, he took with him into it his wife, his three sons, 
Shem, Ham, and Japheth, their wives, and two of every other living 
creature that God had made, and God shut them in. The rain then 
began falling, and it kept on raining for forty days and forty nights. 
It rained until there was not a spot of dry earth anywhere. 

Oh, how sorry the people must have been that they had not listened 
to what Noah had said and had been forgiven their sins, so that they 
too could go into the ark ! But it was too late. God would not listen to 
their cries, and the waters soon covered them up and they died. But 
the ark rose high above the earth, and all that were in it were safe 
and dry. 

When it stopped raining, all that could be seen was water every- 
where; but God did not forget about Noah and those with him in the 
ark. No, God took care of them, and they were safe until the waters 
went down. They at last found themselves upon the top of a mount 
called Ararat. How their hearts must have gone up to God in praise 
and thankfulness for his wonderful goodness to them! 

Some day God is going to punish the wicked people that are on 
the earth now, but it will not be with water next time. 

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An Altar of Thanksgiving;. 

NOAH did not know just when would be the best time to come out 
of the ark, for he did not know how much water was upon the earth ; 
so after waiting fort}^ days, he sent out a raven. It did not return, 
but flew about over the waters. So he sent out a dove, which returned. 
By its returning Noah knew that the waters were still upon the earthy 
and he took the dove inside the ark again. He waited about a week 




THE RETURN OF THE DOVE. 



28 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



longer, and then sent the dove again. This time she returned with an 
olive leaf. By this leaf Noah knew that the waters were going down. 
The next time he sent the dove out she did not return. God spoke to 
him then, and told him it was time to leave the ark; so they all went 
out into the world. Just think how strange they must have felt, know- 
ing that they were the only ones saved. 

Noah built an altar very soon after he came out of the ark, and 
he made an offering unto the Lord, to thank him for his great good- 
ness. God was pleased with it, just as he was when Abel made an 
offering to him. And the Lord said he would set the rainbow in the 
cloud and whenever any saw it they should know that it was the token, 
or sign, of his covenant that there should never again be a flood upon 
the earth to destroy every living thing as had just been done. 



There was a flood 
Long, long ago, 

When all were drowned 
On earth below, 

Except eight souls 
God chose to bless, 

To prove his love 
And faithfulness. 

These eight were in 

An ark secure; 
None of the woe 
Did they endure. 

And with them, too, 

We find a pair 
Of all God placed 

In Adam's care. 



They waited till 
God said to go; 

And when they went, 
God blessed them so. 

They praised him for 
His love and care, 

And all sent up 
An earnest prayer. 

And God said then, 
No more would he 

Send rain to drown 
Humanity. 

He placed his bow 

Up in the sky, 
And then he told 

The reason why. 



He said that when 
We saw it there, 

We'd know we had 
His loving care. 




noah's sacrifice and the rainbow. 



-30 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

TKe Tower of Babel* 

AFTEE the flood the people began to increase in number, until 
finally there were a great many. They all spoke the same language, 
and so could understand one another. They traveled around from 
place to place. When they came to a plain called the land of Shinar, 
they stayed longer than usual. While there they planned to build a 
city and a tower, so that if they should become scattered, there would 
be one place where they could all meet. They planned to build this 
tower so high that the top would reach to heaven, and then they would 
go up and down whenever they wanted to. 

God let them go on witli their work for awhile, but finally he came 
down to see the city and the tower which the children of men were 
building. And the Lord said that as the people were all one and all 
spoke the same language and had planned to build this tower to reach 
up to heaven, it would not do, and their work must be stopped. So 
he caused them to speak different languages, and they were so con- 
fused that they could not understand one another. Then they stopped 
building the city; so the Lord scattered them from there over all the 
earth. The place was afterwards called Babel, for ^^ babel" means 
confusion. 

Now do not forget that all the people in the world have sprung 
from Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The Jews, 
who were a people whom God loved very much, and of whom we will 
farther on tell you a great deal, were descended from Shem. The 
Negro or black race are some of the descendants of Ham ; and we, with 
many other nations, have come from Japheth. 



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Abram and Lot. 

IN the land of Ur lived a man of the name of Abram, who was 
descended from Shem and who loved and worshiped God. Abram 
so fully believed and obeyed him that he was called the friend of God. 
'God promised him many things, one of which was that the Savior who 
was to come into the world some day should be of his descendants. 

Well, the Lord told Abram to go away from his father's house into 




n 
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EH 



32 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



another land, and lie would bless him and make his name great and 
through him all families of the earth should be blessed. 

Abram did as he was told, having faith in God, believing that God 
would do all for him that he had promised. Lot, a nephew, went also. 
Both men became very rich and had many sheep, cattle, and servants. 
When they arrived at the land to which God had directed Abram, the 




THE STRIFE OP THE HERDSMEN. 



Lord told him again that he meant to give it to his children. That 
land was called the land of Canaan because the people living there 
were descendants of Canaan, who was one of Ham's sons. Abram 
built an altar there, upon which he offered sacrifices to God. 




CO 



34 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

They did not stay long in one spot, however, but kept going ou 

toward the south. After awhile there was a famine in the land and it 

was hard to get enough to eat ; so they went down into Egypt. Abram 

got into trouble down there, and they were glad to return. They 

went back to the place where God had appeared when he renewed his 

promises to Abram. Here their herdsmen, or servants, began to 

quarrel, and they decided it was best to part. Abram told Lot to 

take one part of the land, and he would take the other. Lot was to 

choose first, and he chose the side that was well watered and beautiful 

to look at. 

There were two cities quite close, too, and Lot pitched his tent 

near one of them. This city was called Sodom and was one of the 

cities God afterward destroyed on account of the wickedness done 

in them. 

Abram was perfectly satisfied to let Lot have the land he had 

chosen, and Abram went in another direction. When Abram was alone, 
the Lord said to him: '^Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the 
place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and 
westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and 
to thy seed forever. ' * 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old God changed his name to 
Abraham, which means ^'father of a great multitude.^* His wife^s 
name was Sarah. Their faith was tested many times, but they re- 
mained true to God. When God gave them the child he had promised, 
they named him Isaac. 

'«• *Jr •Jp *w* Ts" tp •*«• <p iv t(* "Vc •»• "w "ve •*■ 

Lot's Trouble. 

LOT showed a selfish spirit when he made a choice of the land God 
had given him and Abram, and he had to suffer for it. After they 
separated. Lot started toward Sodom, and it did not take him long to 
get inside the city. It is just the same with any one who chooses a 
life of ease or selfishness: it does not take one long to get into evil 
company and into trouble. 

There was a terrible war between the nations near by ab<mt lliat 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 35 

time, and Lot, who was in Sodom, was taken captive and everything 
he had taken from him. As soon as Abram heard of the trouble, he 
took his three hundred and eighteen trained servants, born in his own 
house, and pursued the enemies. After a hard battle, he brought back 
everything that had been taken, together with Lot and all his goods. 

The king of Sodom was very happy and grateful and wanted to 
give Abram all the goods as pay for what he had done. Abram said 
he would not accept anything for himself, lest the king should say that 
he had made Abram rich, but he would take a portion for the young 
men who went with him. 

At this time a priest of God of the name of Melchizedek blessed 
Abram, and Abram gave him the tenth of the spoils. 

Lot continued to live in this place, having married a woman of 
Sodom. He had two daughters. 



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Destrtictioxi of Sodom and GotnorraK. 

ONE day when Abraham sat in the door of his tent, he looked up 
and saw three angels standing near him, and he bowed his face to 
the ground. After he had cared for them as was the custom at that 
time, they said the Lord meant to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah on 
account of the sins of the people who lived there. 

Abraham felt very sad over this, and thought of Lot. He begged 
the Lord to spare the cities if there could be found a few good people 
in them, and God said he would if he could find ten. God could not 
find ten just souls in Sodom, but he remembered how Abraham longed 
to see Lot saved, and sent his angels to warn him. Lot heard and 
was saved. 

Two angels then went to Sodom and found Lot sitting in the gate. 
When he saw them, he too bowed his face to the ground. These angels 
told Lot the cities were going to be destroyed and he must hasten to 
leave the place, taking with him those he loved. The angels said to go 
and not look back or stay in all the plain, but to escape to the mountain. 

Lot started with his wife and two daughters, but they had not 



36 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



gone far when his wife looked back from behind him, and she became 
a pillar of salt. By turning she proved that her heart was still in the 
city. The others had to go on without her. They escaped to a little 
town called Zoar. 







FLEEING FROM SODOM. 



Sodom and Gomorrali. 

See these wicked cities burn^. They did all his mercy spurn, 

God is sending judgment down; Now the fire sweeps o^er each town. 



CM 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 37 

Hark ! the groans, the sighs— what fear ! One looks back ; 'tis Lot 's own wif e— 
As destruction comes so sore. Proves her heart is there to stay: 

' ' Haste ! ' ' four souls the message hear, God in anger turns her form 
*Do not wait a moment more. ' ' Into salt from human clay. 

Oh ! the judgments of our God 

On this wicked human race. 
Of these cities where man trod 

Naught is seen but vacant space. 



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Abraham's Sacrifice. 

G-od had given Abraham the promise that his children should be 
as the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky. Though Abraham and 
Sarah were now quite old and had had no child, God, according to his 
promise, gave them a son and said to call his name Isaac. 

They must have loved him dearly ; and knowing how many prom- 
ises God had made to him, they loved him all the more. The Lord 
knew how dear Isaac was to Abraham, but he wanted to test Abraham's 
faith and see if he would be willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God. 
So he said to Abraham, ''Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, 
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him 
there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell 
thee of." It must have been a sad moment for Abraham, but he was 
faithful and took his son as the Lord had said, willing to give him back 
to God if he wanted him to. 

Isaac could not understand about it, and on the way he asked his 
father where the lamb was that they were going to offer and was told 
that God would provide a lamb. When they came to the place, 
Abraham made an altar, laid the wood upon it, and then bound his 
dear son Isaac and laid him on the altar upon the wood. Oh, how 
Abraham's heart must have ached! yet he was true and even held 
the knife readv to slav his son. God not only wanted to see if Abraham 



38 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



would obey him, but also to know if he would trust him to yet fulfil 
his promise. 

God then sent his angel, who told Abraham where he could find 
an offering, and that he must not hurt the boy. A ram had been 







ABRAHAM AND ISAAC. 






caught by the horns in some bushes near by, and Abraham laid this 
ram upon the wood instead of Isaac. The lamb offered was to show 
that some day God would offer his dear Son. He would be a sacrifice 




THE ANGEL APPEARING TO ABRAHAM. 



40 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

for every one who would believe on him. The lamb was only to point 
to the great Lamb of God. 

Ood's W^ill V^as Dons. 

There was a man in years of old 
Whose heart was true and tried as gold ; 
He had a son whom God had giv'u, 
A gift which he had sent from heav'n. 

This son was loved by parents dear. 
But he was never worshiped here; 
One day God chose to see if they 
Their son would give— the strangest way. 



lie called the man of God so true 
And told him what he 'd have him do ; 
God said an off 'ring he must take, 
And on the mount an altar make. 



The lamb must be his own dear son. 
He does not wait and does not run ; 
He toils with patience up the hill, 
The words of God now to fulfil. 



His son upon the altar placed, 
This faithful man his God then faced ; 
And as his knife is raised above 
We find his God a God of love. 



God stays his hand and shows him where 
A sacrifice is held secure; 
This man is given back his son, 
Because he said. "God's will be done.'* 



God said that he would richly bless 
His soul for all his faithfulness : 
That all the nations of the earth 
Through him should date a royal birth. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 41 

It was the birth of God's own Son, He bears the load of all their sin. 

The precious, holy, sinless One ; And through his blood they enter in 

This Son, the Lamb of God, so dear, A life that's made so pure and clean 

Was offered for poor sinners here. That naught of sin and shame is seen. 

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FaitK and Obedience. 

ABRAHAM was faithful and obedient to God, who blessed and 
caused him to prosper. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we read, 
''By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which 
he should after receive as an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, 
not knowing whither he went." In the fourth chapter of Romans we 
read, '^He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but 
was strong in faith, giving glory to God ; and being fully persuaded 
that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." 

Abraham was an example to the Christian. Whoever becomes a 
child of God receives many promises. We have the promise of the 
Holy Spirit (Acts 2 : 38, 39), and a home in heaven. John 14: 2. Abra- 
ham traveled through a strange land, and so does the Christian; for 
the Christian is not of the world, although he may be in it. John 17 : 16. 
All the way along God keeps encouraging the Christian with many 
promises, just as he did Abraham; and if he continues faithful, great 
is his reward both in this life and in the one to come. 

He must not have any idols (1 John 5: 21), but must have every- 
thing where he can lay it upon the altar and be perfectly willing to 
give it up. This is the way Abraham felt when he laid his precious 
son Isaac on the altar. 

Lot was an example to the Christian in another way. By his 

experience can be seen how careful the child of God should be in 
choosing the way he goes and with whom he goes. Lot chose to go 
toward Sodom, because Satan made him believe he would enjoy him- 
self more, and the country looked so beautiful. But by going he lost 
everything he had, except his life. 



42 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Satan pictures things out to the Christian in the same way, but 
he should be like faithful Abraham and let God direct him were to go. 
God shows how to live and the way to go, by his Word— the Bible— 

and by his Holy Spirit, which is in the Christian's heart ** Whoso 
keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected,'* 1 JohB 
2: 5. **Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against 
thee/' ** Great peace have they that love thy law: and there ifl no 
stumbling-block to them.'' Psa. 119:11,165. *^As many as are led 
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. ' ' Eonu 8 : 14. 

RebekaH» Isaac's Wife. 

WHEN Abraham became very old and Sarah had died and been 
buried in a cave that he had chosen for a family burying-place, he 
called his eldest servant, who had charge of his things, and made 
him promise that he would go back to Abraham's father's house and 
there choose a wife for Isaac. 

Abraham wanted this to be done because God had made so many 
promises to Isaac about the land that he was going to give and about 
those who were going to live after him, that Abraham wanted to 
choose a wife that would be a help to Isaac and not lead him away 
from serving God. 

The servant did just as Abraham said to do. He took ten camels 
and went back to Abraham's old home; and when he came to a well 
outside the city, he made the camels kneel down. It was evening 
and about the time women went out to draw water from the well. He 
asked the Lord to give him a sign that he might know if God wanted 
any of them to be Isaac's wife. 

The sign asked for was that God would cause the one whom the 
servant asked for a drink to say, ** Drink, and I will give thy camels 
drink also." 

Almost before he had finished praying a young woman came; and 
when he asked for a drink, she said the very words that he had asked 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 



4& 



God to have her say. Still he wanted to be sure; so he asked her 
whose daughter she was, and found out that she was a cousin to Isaac 
After he had told her father and brother all about what he came for 
and how God had directed him, they said that it surely was the Lord 
leading him and that Rebekah, for that was her name, was before 
him and he could take her and go and let her be the wife of his master ^s 
son. So he took her and her servants and started back. 




REBECCA AT THE WELL. 

They met Isaac in the field where he had gone to pray. When 
he saw Rebekah, he loved her and took her home with him, and she 
became his wife. 

Abraham was very rich, and he gave all that he had to Isaac. 

When Abraham died, he was buried beside his wife in the cave. 

God blessed Isaac just as he said he would, and gave him two 
sons, named Esan and Jacob. 



44 . BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

£sa\i and Jacob. 

THERE was a great difference between these two boys that God 
gave to Isaac and Rebekah. Strange as it seemed then, God chose the 
younger instead of the first-born to prove his mighty power. Esau 
the elder was a great hunter and enjoyed being out of doors most of 
the time. He was red-haired, and his body all over was like a hairy 
garment. Jacob was quiet, like his father. 

In those days the eldest son had what they called the birthright. 
A blessing belonged to it, which the father gave him just before dying ; 
so, of course, Esau had a right to this. But God had told Rebekah 
that the elder one was going to serve the younger. 

Jacob one day prepared some food called pottage. When his 
brother Esau came in from hunting, he was very hungry. He asked 
Jacob to give him some of the food; but Jacob told him he would not 
unless Esau would give him his birthright. Esau did not care very 
much about his birthright, and as he was so very hungry he sold it to 
Jacob for something to eat. 

But there came a time when their father was old. His eyes were 
dim, and he could not live very much longer. He felt that it was 
time to bless his sons and get ready to die. So he called Esau and 
said to him, ' ' Take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, 
and go out to the field, and take [hunt] me some venison; and make 
me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; 
that my soul may bless thee before I die.'^ 

Now, Rebekah loved Jacob and was afraid that if Esau received 
the blessing from his father, then what God had said about the elder 
one^s serving the younger would not come to pass. So she and Jacob 
planned to deceive Isaac. 

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Isaac's Sons. 

Two boys were sent a home to bless A sweet reward of faithfulness 

So many years ago, Of parents here below. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



45 



These boys were very different, 

In looks, and habits, too ; 
But God had planned a special work 

For each of them to do. 



She dressed him in his brother's clothes. 
Then gave him choicest meat; 

And Isaac, who was blind, could not 
Detect his son's deceit. 



The elder was a hunter brave ; 

His father loved him best, 
And felt that when he came to die 

This son was to be blest. 

But God had meant the younger son 

To be the future heir 
Of all the great inheritance 

Placed in his father's care. 



When Esau knew what had been done, 
And knew what he had lost, 

In wrath he vowed that Jacob's blood 
He'd shed at any cost. 

His mother then in greatest fear 

Called Jacob to her side, 
And sent him to his uncle's house 

A while there to abide. 



Now, Isaac, who w^as growing old. 
With few more years to live, 

Had bid his elder son prepare; 
The blessing soon he'd give. 

'Twas Jacob's mother found a plan. 
And worked in subtle way. 

To have the blessing fall upon 
Her younger son that day. 



Before he left, his father saw 
The blessing God had planned, 

And charged him not to take a wife 
From tribes within their land. 

But to his mother's house go back 
And choose from there a wife; 

Then God would bless and prosper him 
With riches all his life. 



So Jacob left his father's house; 

His journey God made bright. 
And in a dream appeared to him 

With promises that night. 



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Isaac's Blessing'. 

REBEKAH heard Isaac when he told Esau that lie meant to 
bless him before he died, and then it was that she planned to deceive 
Isaac. She told Jacob about it, and had him bring two kids, or young 
goats; and she cooked the meat as nearly as she could like the kind 



46 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Esau would prepare. Then she dressed Jacob in some of Esau's 
'Clothes, and put some of the skin of the goats upon his neck and hands. 
He then went in and said to his father, "I am Esau thy first-bom.'' 

Isaac could not believe that Esau had returned so soon; but Jacob 
«aid, **The Lord thy God brought it [the deer] to me." So Isaac ate 
the meat. Then he kissed Jacob; and when he smelled the clothes 
and touched the hairy skin, he felt sure that it was Esau: so Isaac 
blessed Jacob. It was a wonderful blessing. 

Isaac had scarcely ceased blessing elacob when they heard Esau 
<3ome in from hunting. He too took a nice dish of meat in to his father, 
and wished to be blessed. leaac asked, ''Who art thou I" and when 
Isaac knew what had been done, he trembled, and asked where the one 
was that he had just blessed, and added, "Yea, and he shall be 
blessed." 

When Esau heard this, he was very sorry and cried with a great 
and very bitter cry. He remembered that he had sold his birthright, 
and then saw that he had never before known how much it was worth 
to him. He begged his father to bless him anyway; but Isaac said 
that he could not take tlie blessing away from Jacob, although he had 
told a lie to get it. 

Then Esau hated his brother Jacob, and said, "As soon as my 
father is dead, I will kill him." But Rebekah heard this and told 
Jacob, and she sent him away to her brother Laban's hous€. But 
God had a work for Jacob to do. 

Jacob's Dream* 

ISAAC called Jacob and gave him a second blessing. He then 
told him not to marry a wife of the land of Canaan, but to go to his 
uncle Laban's house. 

Esau had married two wives of the land in which they lived, and 
this made his father and mother verv^ sad. No doubt this was one 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 47 

thing that led Rebekah to help Jacob deceive his father in regard to 
the blessing. 

On Jacobus journey to his uncle ^s home, God appeared to him in 
a dream. One night, after taking a stone for a pillow, he lay down 
to sleep, and while asleep he saw a ladder set up on the earth. The 
top of it reached to heaven, and angels were going up and down on it. 
The Lord stood above it and said: 

**I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of 
Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy 
seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt 
spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to 
the south : and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth 
be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all 
places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for 
I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken. ^^ 
Gen. 28:12-15. 

When Jacob awoke, he said, ' ' Surely the Lord is in this place ; and 
I knew it not.^' He was afraid and said it was the house of God and 
the gate of heaven. 

He arose early in the morning and took the stone that had been 
his pillow and set it up as a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it. 
He then named the place Bethel, which means ^' house of God,^' and 
made a vow or promise, that if God would take care of and lead him 
to the place he wanted to go and let him return again to his father *s 
house in peace, then the Lord should always be his God ; and he would 
always look upon that stone or pillar as God's house, and would give 
one-tenth of everything he had back to the Lord. 

Jacob's Jotirney. 

Far away from home and loved ones, All alone, with naught but Heaven 
Past asleep upon the ground ; Him to shield from beasts around— 



48 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



Thus we find our humble Jacob, 
With a stone beneath his head, 

Nothing but the earth beneath him — 
This was Jacob's lonely bed. 

There was One who kept watch o'er him, 
One he did not know was there; 

And a vision there was given, 
'Twas a sight to him most fair. 

As he dreamed he saw a ladder. 
And its top reached to the sky ; 

Angels pure he saw upon it , 

Yes, and God was standing nigh. 

And the Ix)rd in all his glory 
Talked to Jacob there that night, 

Making promises unto him 
If he only would do right. 

All the land he saw around him 
Was to be his own, God said; 

And his children would be many 
As the dust in which he'd tread. 



And the Lord said he would bless him 

In whatever way he'd go; 
That he never would forsake him. 

But w^ould shield from ev'ry foe. 

When the morning came in splendor, 
And from dreaming he awoke, 

He was frightened for a moment^. 
For he knew that God had spoke. 

" 'Twas the gateway into heaven," 

Jacob i»aid in silent awe, 
''And sometime I in the future 

At this place near God shall draw. 

''If the Lord my soul will prosper, 
And will help me on my way. 

Then the tenth of all my living 
I will o^ive to him each day." 

And the pillow which he slept on, 
Which was nothing but a stone, 

Was soon set up as a pillar 

For a house where God was known. 



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Jacob and RacHel. 

AS Jacob came near his mother's old home, he found a well where 
three flocks of sheep were waiting to be watered. He soon learned that 
they were his uncle Laban's sheep, and met his cousin Rachel coming 
to water them. She hurried to tell her father that Jacob was there. 
Her father was glad, and Jacob went to live with them. 

After a while Jacob said to his uncle, "I will serve thee seven 
years for Rachel thy younger daughter." His uncle agreed to this, 
but deceived him by not giving him the wife he had chosen. Still 
Jacob wanted Rachel so much that he worked seven years more to 
get her. 




< 
a 

O 

o 



50 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



Laban was a very selfish man and did many mean things to Jacob. 
But God was with Jacob and meant to fulfil his promises to him. 



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Jacob at His Uncle I^abazi's. 

Now our Jacob has reached Haran, Laban, now, was very greedy, 



Met his cousin on the way; 
He is welcomed by her father, 
And invited there to stay. 

Well, we have a little story 
That will interest, I know : 

Jacob loved his cousin Rachel, 
And he told his uncle so. 

Jacob said he'd be a servant, 

. He would work and toil while there, 

If his uncle would reward him 

- With the hand of Rachel fair. 

ThuS; he bound himself to Laban: 

- Seven years soon crept around, 
But no word was ever spoken 

Of reward poor Jacob found. 

So when all these years were ended, 
Jacob went with this demand, 

That his uncle must reward him 
With his cousin Rachers hand. 



Wealth and gain was all he sought; 
So when Jacob asked for Rachel, 
It was Leah that was brought. 

And for this, when asked a reason, 
Laban said, " 'Tis not our way, 

That the younger daughter marry, 
And the elder daughter stay ; 

"But if now you will continue 
And work on for seven years. 

Then you may have Rachel also * ' — 
This is what poor Jacob hears. 

Thus, the lie he told his father. 
When as Esau there he came. 

Was returned and Jacob suffered, 
But God cared for him the same. 

He was blessed in all his labors 
As he toiled from day to day, 

Just as long as God consented 
That in bondage he should stay. 



< * ■■* ft **#****•**:!{: * 



Jacob's R.ettim. 

THE time finally came for Jacob to return to his old home. God 
"had blessed him in many ways. He had cattle, sheep, and everything 
else he needed, besides many servants, a daughter, and eleven sons. 

The Lord helped them on their journey, but Jacob was afraid his 




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52 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



brother would still be angry and not glad to see him. He sent men 
ahead to tell Esau they were coming; and as soon as Esau heard it, 
he started with four hundred men to meet eTacob. This made it seem 
that Esau surely meant to do them harm. After reminding God of his 
many promises to him, Jacob sent a present to his brother. 




I 



JACOB WRESTLES WITH THE ANGEL. 



That night an angel came to Jacob. The Bible says the angel 
wrestled with him. This was a strange thing for an angel to be doing 
with a man; but God must have taken that way to make Jacob do as 
he wanted him to do. 

The angel put Jacob's thigh, or part of his leg, out of joint. Jacob 
held to him even after that, and said, ^'I will not let thee go, except 



54 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

thou bless me.'^ This the angel did, and Jacob's name was changed 
to Israel, which means '^a prince of God." He was given this name 
because he had power with God and man. 

The next day the two brothers met. God united their hearts. 
They kissed each other and wept. Esau said he did not want to take 
the present Jacob had sent him, but Jacob wished him to and at last 
Esau took it. 

After parting from Esau, Jacob and his family journeyed on to 
Bethel, the place where he had the dream and saw the ladder. Here 
Jacob built an altar, and God blessed him again. 

Jacob had another son about this time, which made twelve. At 
last they came to Jacob's old home. How happy he must have been 
to get back ! 
. When Isaac died, both Jacob and Esau were present to bury him. 

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Joseph Is Hated. 

JOSEPH was one of Jacob's twelve sons. He was the eleventh. 
The ten elder were shepherds. Jacob loved Joseph more than he did 
his other sons, and he made him a coat of many colors. All this made 
them jealous, and finally they hated their brother. 

Well, this is like the Christian: being loved by God, he is hated 
by the world. It is sin, too, in people's hearts that makes them jealous. 
A heart that is clean from all sin feels glad to see other people honored 
and happy. 

Joseph had two dreams, which he told, and which made his breth- 
ren hate him all the more. In the first dream he thought they were all 
in the field binding sheaves. His sheaf stood erect, and his brothers' 
sheaves bowed to it. His brothers asked if he were going to reign over 
them. Afterwards he had another dream. In this he thought the sun, 
moon, and stars all bowed down to him. 

When he told this dream, his father reproved him, and asked, 



FROM THE GOOD OLD- BOOK. 55 

' ' Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed Qf^me to bow down 
ourselves to thee!" Jacob, however, thought of these dreams many 
times afterward. But Joseph was envied more and more by his 
brothers. 

One time while caring for the sheep, Jacob's sons went a long 
way from home. Their father wanted to know how they were getting 
along; so he sent Joseph to see if they were all right. 

The brothers saw Joseph when he was a long distance from them, 
and they said, ^VBehold, this dreamer cometh. Gome now therefore, 
and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some 
evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of 
his dreams." Gen. 37: 19,20. 

They were not all so wicked ; for when Reuben, the eldest brother, 
heard it, he advised them not to kill Joseph, but to cast him alive into 
a pit. His thought was that when the others had gone away, he would 
help Joseph out of the pit and get him back to his father. 

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Josepli Is Sold. 

THE brothers did as Reuben said, and cast Joseph into the pit. 
There was no water in it; and if another wicked plot had not entered 
their minds, Reuben would have been able to help his brother. 

Joseph had on the pretty coat which his father had given him. 
This his brethren took from him and dipped it in the blood of a young 
goat they had killed. They then planned to carry the coat back to 
their father and say they had found it. 

As they sat down to eat, a com^pany of merchants riding on camels 
went by on their way to Egypt. It then came into the brothers' hearts 
to sell Joseph to these men. The Bible tells of another person who 
was sold for a few pieces of silver. It was God's own Son, and he was 
sold by one of his disciples. 

Well, Joseph's brothers sold him, and he was taken down to 
Egypt and there sold as a slave to an officer of the king of Egypt. 



56 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

But God had planned that all this was to happen. It will soon he seen 
how the hand of God was leading Joseph. 

Jacob was very sad when the bloody coat was brought to him. 
He believed Joseph was dead, and he mourned for him many days. 

How lonely poor Joseph must have been as the band of men took 

him to Egypt! He was far away from his friends and home, but he 

had one friend who did not leave him. That friend was God. 

His master's name was Potiphar, an Egyptian. Seeing that the 

Lord blessed Joseph and caused all that he did to prosper, Potiphar 

made Joseph overseer of all that he had. And God blessed the 

Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. 

One day his master's wife told things about Joseph that were not 
true, and he was cast into prison. God was with him even there; for 
;he would not sin against the Lord, but did what was right. God is 
very near to those whose hearts are set to have nothing to do with 
what they know is wrong, and he blesses them. 

Boys and girls who have decided to follow and trust in Jesus and 
keep away from every evil thing are, like older Christians, sometimes 
persecuted and in trouble; but if they are true to God, he will 
bring them forth in due time. He delivered Joseph, as we shall see 
presently. 

M. ^ M. M, •£. ^^ ^^ ^^ U^ ^t 4^ jt J^ ^^ ^^ 

w tT ^ w TT Ts" TT Tr Tv* "Tr "w Tv* TP ^P ^P 

JosepK In Prison. 

BEFORE long the jailor saw by the way Joseph lived that he 
could be trusted and that God was with him and blessed him in what- 
ever he did. So he made him overseer of the jail and gave him the 
care of all the prisoners. He had charge of everything done there. 

God did not intend Joseph to be a slave, as his dreams when at 
home proved; yet he permitted it for a short time. 

Among the prisoners were the king's butler and baker, who had 
offended their lord Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Both men had a 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



57 



dream, and in the same night. In the morning when Joseph came in 
where they were, he asked why they were sad. They told him they 
both had dreamed and there was no one to tell them what their dreams 
meant. 




JOSEPH SOLD BY HIS BRETHREN. 



Joseph said, "Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me 
them, I pray you. And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and 
said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; and in the 
vine were three branches : and it was as though it budded, and her blos- 
som shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 



58 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand : and I took the grapes, and pressed 
them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh^s hand. 
** And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The 
three branches are three days: yet within three days shall Pharaoh 
lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt 
deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when 
thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, 
and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me 




unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen 
away out of the land of the Plebrews : and here also have I done noth- 
ing that they should put me into the dungeon. 

''When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he 
said unto Joseph,' I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three 
white baskets on my head: and in the uppermost basket there was 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 59 

of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoli; and the birds did eat them 
out of the basket upon my head. 

**And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation 
thereof : The three baskets are three days : yet within three days shall 
Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree*,, 
and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. 

*^And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birth- 
day, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the 
head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 

**And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and 
he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: but he hanged the chief baker: 
as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remem- 
ber Joseph, but f orgat him. ' ' Gen. 40 : 8-23. 

* -,y- jj. Jt ^ -^ 4^ 4^ J£- ^^ Jt 4fe ^fe ^ ^t 
Tf* Tt* •TV' 't^ TT tF tP TT TT TP TP TP TP TP 

THe Kind's Dream. 

JOSEPH, by God's help, had interpreted the dreams of both the 
butler and the baker. Everything came to pass just as Joseph said 
it would. One was hanged, and the other was placed back in the king's 
service as he had been before. 

It would seem that no one could forget the request Joseph had 
made to the butler, that he would help him out of prison. But the 
butler never thought of him until, at last, the king had a dream. ^^And 
it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: 
and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out 
of the river seven well-favored kine and fat-fleshed ; and they fed in a 
meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of 
the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed ; and stood by the other kine upon 
the brink of the river. And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did 
eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 

^'And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven 
ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, 
seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. 



(50 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And 
Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 

**And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; 
and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egj^pt, and all the wise 



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TELLTNG THE KING^S DREAM. 



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men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there were none 
that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. ' ' Gen. 41 : 1-8. 

Then the butler remembered Joseph and told the king about him. 
Pharaoh sent at once for Joseph, and they took him out of prison. 
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have heard say of thee, that thou canst 





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FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 61 

understand a dream to interpret it." Joseph answered, ^^It is not in 
me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." 

When Joseph heard the dreams, he said that the two meant the 
same thing. For seven years, he said, there wonld be plenty of every- 
thing, and then there would be seven years of famine in which there 
would be nothing raised to eat. 

He told Pharaoh to appoint a man who was very wise, and have 
this man see that plenty of barns were built. Then they were to store 
away one-fifth of all that was raised during the years when there was 
plenty. This was to be used during the seven years of famine. Pha- 
raoh was glad when he heard this, and he chose Joseph to be the man 
to see that these things were done. He said, ' ' See, I have set thee over 
all the land of Egypt." 

Again Joseph was made overseer, and this time of the whole land 
of Egypt. He feared God and trusted him. This was the secret of 
his success. 

#J/, M, Ji, Jf, ^2, .AL. 4f. Ji- Jf, JJ. J|t J^ J£. J£- 
•JT" w 'Tr "TV- 'iT ■7¥" •yf' "«• -TT w Tf" "Ir Ir tS" 

TKe Fatnine. 

JOSEPH was about thirty years old when Pharaoh made him gov- 
ernor of Egypt. In the first seven years there was so much corn every- 
where that it was as the sand of the sea. Joseph gathered it into barns 
until he could not number the amount. 

When the seven years of plenty were ended, the famine began, 
and it was very severe. But all the time there was bread and corn in 
Egypt. This famine was not only in Egypt, but was in all the countries 
around; and there was nothing to eat at Joseph's old home. When 
his father Jacob heard there was corn in Egypt, he sent his ten eldest 
sons to buy some. 

eJoseph was the one to whom they came. They all ^^ bowed down 
themselves before him with their faces to the earth." This was the 
very thing Joseph, when he was a boy at home, dreamed that they 
would do. And that dream was one of the things that made them hate 
him so much. 



62 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Joseph knew his brothers, but he had changed so much that they 
did not know him. He called them spies, and said they had only come 
to see how little there was in the land. They told him they were not 
spies, but were one man's sons and twelve brethren. The youngest, 
they said, was at home with their father, and the other was not. 

Joseph knew whom they meant by the one who ^'was not"; it was 
himself. But he did not let them know who he was. He, no doubt, 
wished to examine them further to see if they were still the same hard- 
hearted men they were when he was a boy. 

He said that he would count them as spies unless one of them would 
go back and get their youngest brother and return with him. He put 
them all in prison, but on the third day he let them out. He told them 
if they were true men they should leave Simeon in the prison, and 
the rest were to carry back food to their father. He said they must 
bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, when they returned. This 
made them very sad. 

"And they said one to another. We are verily guilty concerning 
■our, brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought 
us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 
And Eeuben answered them, saying. Spake I not unto you, saying. Do 
not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, 
also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood 
them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned him- 
self about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and com- 
muned with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before 
their eyes." Gen. 42: 21-24. 

Joseph had his brothers' sacks filled with corn, and gave orders 
to have the money they had paid put back in their sacks. When they 
got home and opened the sacks and found in them all the money they 
had paid for the corn, they were very much afraid. 

Jacob refused to let them take their youngest brother, and they 
would not return without him. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 63 

JosepH Makes Himself Known to His 

BretKren. 

WHEN the corn was all eaten and they were very hungry, Jacob 
at last said he would let them take Benjamin to Egypt with them. He 
also sent a nice present, with twice the amount of money they needed 
to buy corn, and the money they had found in their sacks, and said, 




JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN. 

**Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man/' They 
then went down into Egypt the second time. 

When Joseph saw his brother Benjamin, he wept and had to 
leave the room. 



64 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

He had a feast prepared, and his brothers ate with him. Still he 
did not let them know who he was. 

When they were ready to go home, Joseph had all their money 
put back in their sacks again, and had his silver cup put in Benjamin's 
sack. He let them get started and then sent the one who had put the 
money into the sacks to follow them and say, ^* Wherefore have ye 
rewarded evil for good in stealing my master's property?" The stew- 
ard did as Joseph commanded. When the cup was found in Benja- 
min's sack, they were indeed sad, and with heavy hearts returned to 
the city. 

Joseph told them he would keep Benjamin; but they said they 
could not return without him, for their father would die of grief, since 
he felt so keenly the loss of Joseph. When Joseph heard how his father 
still sorrowed for him, he could stand it no longer. Every one was 
sent out of the room, except his brothers. Then he made himself 
known unto them. And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the 
house of Pharaoh heard. 

His brethren were at first frightened when they knew they were 
talking with their own brother Joseph; but he said: ^^Come near 
to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph 
your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, 
nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send 
me before you to preserve life. 

^^For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet 
there are ^ve years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor 
harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in 
the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it 
was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a 
father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout 
all the land of Egypt. 

^^ Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him. Thus saith 
thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egj^pt: come down 
unto me, tarry not: and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and 
thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's 




JOSEPH INTRODUCING HIS FATHER TO PHARAOH. 



66 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: and 
there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest 
thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast come to poverty. 

^'And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, 
that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my 
father of all my glory in Egj^pt, and of all that ye have seen; and 
ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. 

'^And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and 
Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, 
and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.'* 
Gen. 45 : 4-15. 



TP TT •«• "Ts* Tt* TS* 'A" "A* Tt" TS* "TS" TT "JV" TP 



Israel Leaves tKe Land of Canaan. 

PHAKAOH and all his servants were pleased when they heard that 

i Joseph's brothers had come. He told Joseph to send them back after 

[ their families and to have them return again, and said he would give 

' them the good of Egypt and they should eat of the fat of the land. 

Joseph gave all of them new clothes to wear, and wagons in which 

; to carry the women and children and their father. 

; When they returned home and told their father that Joseph was 

^ still alive and of the many things that had happened, he could not 

believe them. But when he saw the wagons Joseph had sent, he 

felt it was true. He said, "It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive: 

] I will go and see him before I die." 

'■ It was a long journey for any one so old. God spoke to him on 

the way and said, "Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there 
make of thee a great nation." 

Pharaoh was very kind to them and had Joseph see after all 
their needs. Joseph promised his father that when he died he should 
be buried in the old family burying-place, where Isaac and Abraham 
were laid. 

Shortly before Israel died, he blessed Joseph's two sons. Ma- 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 67 

nasseli and Ephraim. In the blessing he placed Ephraim before Ma- 
nasseh. He said Manasseh the elder should be great, but Ephraim 
should be a multitude of nations. He said to Joseph, ^^God shall be 
with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers^'— the 
land of Canaan, which country God had given to Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob, or Israel. 

V Tp tF tP "fc ^r tP tF tF 7? w A* tF "tP tP 

God Cares for tHe CKildrem of Israel. 

WHEN Israel died, his sons took him back to the land of his 
fathers and buried him. After their return to Egypt, fear came 
upon the brothers that Joseph would now do them some harm, since 
their father was dead. They sent a messenger to Joseph to beg him 
to forgive them for the evil they had done him when a boy. 

It made Joseph weep, for he did not think of returning the evil. 
He said: ^^Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for 
you, ye thought evil against me ; but God meant it unto good, to bring 
to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore 
fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted 
them, and spake kindly to them. ' ' Gen. 50 : 19-21. 

When Joseph died, he was embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt. 

One night many years before what we are now reading about, 
when Abraham was asleep, God said to him: "Know of a surety 
that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall 
serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also 
that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall 
they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers 
in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth 
generation they shall come hither again : for the iniquity of the 
Amorites is not yet full. ' ' Gen. 15 : 13-16. 

God promised to deliver them and to bring them back to Canaan 
some day, which he did, as you will soon learn. 



68 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

The CHildren of Israel. 

MANY years had passed since the famine in Egypt. Israel and 
all his sons were dead, and there was another Pharaoh, or king, ruling, 
who was not kind to the people of God. 

This new king did not know anything about Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob, the many promises God had made to them, and how God had 
been with Joseph, or that these were the chosen people of God. Had 
he known all this, he would, no doubt, have been more careful how 
he acted toward them, and not been so cruel. 

One thing Pharaoh knew. It was that the people of God were 
increasing very fast, and he was afraid they might join in war with 
other nations against Egypt. He said to his people, **Let us deal 
wisely with them.^' *^ Therefore they did set over them taskmasters 
to afflict them with their burdens." These taskmasters were so cruel 
and made them work so hard that their burdens were more than they 
could bear. They were forced to build two cities for Pharaoh to 
keep his treasures in. The names of the cities were Pithom and Rame- 
ses. They were built in that part of the country in which Joseph had 
said his brothers should dwell; for the king had told Joseph to give 
his people the best of the land. 

^'But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and 
grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.'^ 

Now the dream that Abraham had so many years before (Gen. 
15: 13-16) was coming to pass. The people of God were strangers in 
a strange land and were slaves. But God said he would judge Egypt 
and deliver his people; and you will soon see how it was done. 

God chose a man of the name of Moses to take his people away; 
but many strange things were to happen before the right time should 
come for them to leave Egypt. 

When Pharaoh saw that in spite of all he could do the people 
of God increased as fast as they had before, he said every son that 
was bom to them must be thrown into the river and drowned. About 
this time a little son was born in the family of Levi. This little son 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 69 

was Moses, and he was the one God had chosen to deliver his people. 
For three months the mother of this child kept him hid. When 
she saw she could hide him no longer, she made a tiny ark for him 
and daubed it with slime and with jjitch and put the child in it. Then 
she laid it in the flags by the river brink. 

*^t Jt ^t ^t ^t* ^^ ^k. 4k *4t J& ^t Jt ^fe ^k 
TP TP TT TP VP TP TP TP VP tP TP TP TP TP 

Moses Fotind. 

WHEN Moses had been placed in the ark in the river, his sister 
named Miriam kept watch to see what would happen to him. Soon 
Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe. While she was 
bathing, she saw the little ark and sent her maid to fetch it. When 
the ark had been brought to Pharaoh's daughter, she opened it and 
saw the sweet little baby. It began to cry, and she loved the child. 
She knew it was one of the Hebrews' children (the children of Israel 
were also called Hebrews), but she could not bear to see it killed. 

When Moses' sister saw that the babe was not going to be killed, 
she stepped up to the king's daughter and asked if she might go and 
get a nurse for it. She was told to go, and of course she got the 
baby's own mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to take care of it for 
her and she would pay her for doing so. This was the way the dear 
Lord took care of Moses. 

When he was old enough, he was brought to the king's palace, and 
Pharaoh's daughter raised him as though he were her own son. Moses 
was taught in all the wisdom of Egypt, and trained for the great work 
which God had for him to do. 

In Exodus 9 : 16 we read something God said about Pharaoh: **And 
in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee 
my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the 
earth. " So it was not strange that the very means by which Pharaoh 
thought to destroy the lives of the children should be used to deliver 
them from Egypt. He had said all the boy babies were to be thrown 



70 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



into the river, and it was on account of this command that Moses was 
found in the river in the tinv ark that his mother had made for him. 












THE FlNDliSia Ub' MUbblS. 











Then, it was Pharaoh's daughter who took Moses as her own son and 
had him taught all the tilings he should know; and he grew to be a 
man in the king's palace. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



71 



Moses Leaves tlie House of PHaraoli. 

MOSES lived in the house of Pharaoh until he was about forty 
years old. Then there came a time when he had to choose which he 
would do— enjoy the pleasures of sin and the nice things of Egypt, or 
part with them and go with the people of God. He knew what it 
meant to decide to go with God's people; for he could see how they 
were forced to work and suffer, but he knew that God was on their 




ISRAPJL's suffering, in EGYPT. 



side. This was enough for him, and he chose to go with them and 
serve God. 

There is a time in the lives of all tvhen God calls them to live 
for him, and they have to make a choice. They can stay in sin and 



72 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

enjoy foolish pleasures for a while, or they can give up sin and choose 
the better part, as Moses did. They may suffer many things ; but they 
have great joy and peace, and have the promise of a far better land 
than the children of Israel looked forward to. 

Moses' faith was great and strong, but he had many things to 
learn. He wanted to help God, so he took the matter into his own 
hands for a short time. God meant to use him in delivering his people, 
but wanted them to be glad to be delivered and so let them suffer for 
a while. 

The way Moses tried to help God was this: One day when he 
went out where some of his brethren were at work, he saw an Egyptian 
hurting one of them. ^'He looked this way and that way, and when 
he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in 
the sand.'' Ex. 2:12. 

After he had killed the Egyptian, he tried to have two of his 
brethren stop quarreling. The man who did the wrong became angry 
with Moses and said, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? 
intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?" His people 
as well as Pharaoh seemed to have turned against him, but God had 
not. When Moses found out that people knew of his killing the 
Egyptian, he had to go away and hide. 

* «u» Mt •U' 3^ u^ ^^ u^ ^u 4^ ^^ u^ ^^ ^j, a^ 
TP ^P TP TP TP TP TP TP TP TP TP TP TP ^p 

Israel's Deliverer. 

I wish to tell a story true 
About a land and people too. 
\ The lovely river Nile was there, 

Which in my story has a share. 
And it was there a tyrant reigned; 
Though king, his hands with blood were stained; 
And in this land so rich and great 
Were captives doomed to awful fate. 

This land was Egypt (did you guess?), 
So comely clothed in nature's dress; 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 73 

And these poor captives in this land 
Were none but Israel's chosen band. 
Since Joseph's death 'twas many years. 
Poor Israel toiled through grief and tears; 
And as they worked from morn till late, 
They could but mourn their woful fate. 

But Grod had blessed his people there, 
Although they had such grief to bear ; 
And as their numbers fast increased, 
The king feared lest they be released. 
He said that something must be done, 
Or they the land would overrun. 
And thus it was this cruel man 
Had thought of such a wicked plan. 

He said that ev'ry baby boy, 

If captive born, they must destroy; 

Its little body all alone 

Into the river must be thrown. 

Just how this plan worked soon we'll see; 

For later it brought liberty: 

Through one of these same baby boys, 

The hosts of Egypt God destroys. 

It came about in just this way: 

A Hebrew mother hid one day 

Her baby in a basket queer, 

And had her daughter standing near; 

Then laid him in the river Nile, 

And bade his sister watch the while. 

This lady had not long to wait 

To know her darling baby's fate. 

'Twas Pharaoh's daughter came one day, 
And with her maidens passed that way. 
She stopped to bathe, but soon espied 
The ark with its sweet babe inside. 

The hnby Avept, which made her sad; 



74 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

She saw it was a Hebrew lad. 
She knew her father's stern decree; 
Her heart was stirred with sympathy. 

'Twas then the baby 's sister came, 
And said a nurse she'd quickly name; 
And when the princess said, "Yes, go," 
She ran to let her mother know. 
That mother's heart was full of joy 
To have once more her little boy. 
She cared for him until the day 
He went to Pharaoh's house to stay. 

The princess took him as her own; 
No art so great but he was shown , 
In wisdom none excelled him there; 
In royal life he had his share. 
Though there was much he could enjoy, 
This did not Moses' mind employ; 
He saw his brethren's misery, 
And longed to go and set them free. 

The wisdom gained of Egypt's ways 
Helped Moses much in later days; 
And when deliv'rance came at last, 
The burden was on IMoses cast. 
And so the tiny IlebreAV boy 
The king had sought so to destroy 
AVas trained behind the royal wall, 
But heard his loving Master's call. 

TKe Btiriiiii^ BiisK. 

WHEN Moses left Egypt, he went into the land of Midian and 
stayed there. Those living in that land were not the chosen people 
of God, as the children of Israel were. 



T¥i^1[] 




MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH. 



76 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Moses cared for the flock of a man of the name of Jethro, and 
married one of his daughters, whose name was Zipporah, and they 
had two sons. The name of the first was Gershom, which means ^^a 
stranger here"; ''for," said he, "I have been a stranger in a strange 
land." The name of the second was Eliezer, which means "my God 
is a help"; "for," said he, "the God of my father was mine help and 
delivered me from the hand of Pharaoh." 

How dark everything must have looked to Moses at this time ! He 
could not see how he could ever help his people now, but God wanted 
him to become very humble so he would know that it was God who 
was doing the work, and not himself. 

One day while he was caring for the flock of Jethro, his father- 
in-law, a very strange thing happened. He was near a mountain 
called Horeb, and was all alone. All at once he saw flames coming 
out of a bush. He watched it, but the bush did not bum. Then he 
said, "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush 
is not burnt." Then he heard a voice, for "God called unto him out 
of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here 
am I." Then God said, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes 
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. ' ' 

"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people 
^hich are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their task- 
masters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver 
them out of the hand of the Egyptians. ' ' Ex. 3 : 7, 8. 

"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou 
mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt." 
Ex. 3:10. 






Sig(iis Given to Moses. 

MOSES had not forgotten how one of his brethren had spoken 
to him just before he left Egypt, saying, "Who made thee a prince 
and a judge over us ? " Ex. 2 : 14. Moses said to the Lord, * * They 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 11 

will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice ; for they will say, The 
Lord hath not appeared unto thee." The Lord then asked him, *'What 
is that in thine hand ! And he said, A. rod. ' ' God told him to throw 
it on the ground ; and when he did so, it became a serpent ; and Moses 
ran from it. God said to pick it up by the tail; and when he did, it 
became a rod again. 

God said, '^Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his 
hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was 
leprous as snow. And he said. Put thine hand into thy bosom again. 
And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his 
bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. ' ' Ex. 4 : 6, 7. 

God then said, ^'It shall come to pass, if they will not believe also 
these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take 
of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land : and the water 
which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry 
land." 

Even after God had given him these signs, Moses was afraid to 
go and said he never could talk well. He said, "I am slow of speech, 
and of a slow tongue." ''And the Lord said unto him. Who hath 
made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, 
or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be 
with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. ' ' 

Moses was still afraid to go, and begged the Lord to send some 
one more able to do the great work of delivering the children of Israel 
out of Egypt. ''And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, 
and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother ! I know that he can 
speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee : and when 
he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 

"And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and 
I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what 
ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he 
shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt 
be to him instead of God. 



78 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

**And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt 
do signs/' Ex. 4: 14-17. 

Moses did not say any more against going, hut started as soon as 
he could. **And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to re- 
turn into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, 
which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he 
shall not let the people go.'' Ex. 4: 21. *^I am sure that the king of 
Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will 
stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I 
will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go." 
Ex. 3:19,20. 

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Moses R^ettirns to C^ypt. 

GOD told Moses that he could return to Egypt in peace, for all 
the men who wanted to kill him were dead. 

There was now another Pharaoh, who was even more cruel than 
the one before him had been, and the way the children of Israel had 
to suffer was dreadful. Ex. 3 : 23-25. 

God sent Aaron into the wilderness to meet Moses, and they were 
very glad to see each other. Moses told his brother Aaron of all the 
signs God had given. Wlien they reached Egypt and told the children 
of Israel all about it, ^Hhe people believed: and when they heard that 
the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that he had looked 
upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped." 

Moses and Aaron then went to see Pharaoh and said, * ^ Thus saith 
the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast 
unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that 
I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither 
will I let Israel go. ' ' They said the God of the Hebrews had met with 
them and they must go a three days' journey into the desert to sacri- 
fice to him. 

God had said he would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he would 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 79 

not let the people go, and so it came to pass. Pharaoh said the people 
were not busy enough, and that was why they said, **Let us go and 
saerij&ee to our God." He said, "Let there more work be laid upon 
the men." 

Before this the people were given straw to make brick, but now 
they were forced to hunt for stubble and still make as many bricks 
as they had made before. When they could not make as many, 
they were beaten. Then they went to Pharaoh and asked him why 
it was. But Pharaoh said, "Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye 
say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Go therefore now, and 
w;ork; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the 
full number of brick." 

They met Moses and Aaron, who stood on the road, as they came 
forth from Pharaoh, and the people blamed them for making their 
work so much harder. Then Moses went to God and said, "Why is 
it that thou hast sent me! for since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy 
name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered 
thy people at all." 

Then the Lord encouraged Moses and said, "Now shalt thou see 
what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them 
go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land." 

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Moses and Aaron Visit PHaraoh. 

THIS was a very discouraging time to the children of Israel; and 
when Moses went to encourage them, they would not listen. 

When God said to return to Pharaoh again, Moses said, "Israel 
have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me?" But 
God told him to go and take Aaron and when they were asked to show 
a sign or miracle they should cast the rod before Pharaoh and it 
would become a serpent. 

This was done. Then Pharaoh called his wise men, and they 
did the same thing, and each of their rods became a serpent. "But 



80 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." Still Pharaoh would not let 
the people go, for his heart was hardened. 

The water in all the rivers and streams was then turned to blood, 
and they had to dig wells to find water to drink; but Ph^araoh still 
refused to send the people away. 

Then frogs were sent in such large numbers that they were in the 
Egyptians' houses, beds, ovens, and everywhere. Then Pharaoh 
begged Moses to take the frogs away. 

Next the dust of the land was turned into lice, and lice were upon 
man and beast. The wise men said, ^^ Surely this is the finger of 
God," because they were unable to do the same; but Pharaoh would 
not listen to them. 

Swarms of flies were then sent, so that they were everywhere in 
great numbers, except in the land of Goshen, where God's people 
dwelt; there were no flies there. 

Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and told them to have their 
people sacrifice unto the Lord in Egypt, but Moses said this would 
not do; they must go three days' journey into the desert. Pharaoh at 
last said they might go, but must not go far. He asked Moses to 
entreat the Lord to take away the flies. The Lord removed them in 
answer to Moses' prayer; but Pharaoh's heart became hardened again, 
and he would not let the people go. 

Then a disease was sent among the cattle. This disease killed all 
the cattle, except the part belonging to the children of Israel. 

Also, ashes were sprinkled in the air^ and the ashes caused great 
sores to come on every person or animal that they touched. 

Then hail was sent, which killed every plant, animal, and person 
that was in the fields. But it did not hail in Goshen. 

Again Pharaoh said he would let the people go and that they 
should not stay there any longer; but as soon as the rain and hail 
ceased, he hardened his heart again and refused to let them go. 

God then told Moses that he was showing these signs so that some 
day they might tell their children of his mighty power. 



82 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

More Si^ns Given. 

AGAIN the Lord sent Moses and Aaron in before Pharaoh. This 
time they said that if he refused to let the people of God go and 
sacrifice, locusts would be sent to eat up everything that the hail had 
not' destroyed, and that these locusts would be worse than any he 
had c\'er seen. 

: Pharaoh ^s servants begged him to let the people go, and asked 
if he did not know that Egypt was destroyed already. Pharaoh said 
the men of Israel might go, but the women and children must stay. 

Then '^ Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and 
{the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all 
■that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 

'^And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested 
in all tlie coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them 
there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 

^'For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land 
was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the 
fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any 
green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the 
land of Egypt. ^^ Ex. 10:13-15. 

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron in haste and said he had 
sinned against God and his people, and asked to be forgiven. 

But as soon as God sent a strong west wind, which took away the 

locusts and cast them into the Red Sea, so that not one locust remained, 

his heart was hardened again, and he would not let the children of 
Israel go. 

Darkness then came upon the land and the Bible says, 'it was 
darkness which might be felt.' ''They saw not one another, neither 
rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel 
had light in their dwellings. 

'*And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said. Go ye, serve the Lord; 
only let your flocks and your herds be stayed : let your little ones also 
go with you. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK, 83 

^*And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt 
offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle 
also shall go with us ; there shall not an hoof be left behind ; for thereof 
must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what 
we must serve the Lord, until we come thither. 

**But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let 
them go. And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed 
to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face 
thou shalt die. 

**And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again 
no more." Ex. 10:24-29. 

TKe Passover and tKe Last Plagtie. 

''AND the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague 
more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go 
hence. ' ' 

It would seem as though there was little else that could be done, 
after all the plagues that God had sent on these people. But one 
more was to be sent. 

The Lord told Moses and Aaron to call all the people of God 
together and tell them to choose on the tenth day of the month a 
lamb for each family and to keep it until the fourteenth day. Then 
they were to kill the lamb at sunset and take some of the blood and 
put it above and on each side of the door of each of their houses. 

God told them just how the lamb was to be roasted, and that they 
must eat it in haste, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and were 
to burn all of the lamb that might be left. When they ate it, they 
were to be dressed ready to start on their journey. 

It was the Lord's passover; for he said he would pass through 
the land of Egypt that night, and would smite or kill all the first-born 
there, both of man and beast. ''And the blood shall be to you for 
a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I 



84 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy 
you, when I smite the land of Egypt.'' 

The children of Israel had seen what awful things were happening 
in Egypt ; and they must have been sorry that they had not had more 
faith in Moses, for this time they bowed their heads and worshiped 
and did as T-Ioses and Aaron said. 

God told them that after they left Egypt they should always keep 
the service of the Lord's passover, and that when their children asked 
why they did it they must say, **It is the sacrifice of the Lord's pass- 
over, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, 
when he smote the Eg^^ptians, and delivered our houses." 

''And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the 
first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-bom of Pharaoh that 
sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the 
dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. 

''And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and 
ull the Egyptians ; and there was a great cry in Egypt ; for there was 
not a house where there was not one dead. ' ' Ex. 12 : 29, 30. 

Pharaoh was forced to see God's power in so many ways that at 
last he said the people must all go and serve the Lord, and to go at once. 

Pharaoh asked Moses to bless him before he went. He seemed 

for a moment to realize that he needed God's blessings; just as Esau 

did after he found that his father had blessed his brother Jacob. 

Pharaoh saw what a terrible thing the wrath of God was. 

The Egyptians hurried the children of Israel in leaving so that 
they had no time to get ready. They asked of the Egyptians many 

things they would need on their journey, however, and the Bible says, 

"They spoiled the Egyptians." 

The children of Israel had been in Egypt a great many years, 
and the night they left was one long to be remembered. The feast of 
the passover and unleavened bread was a very sacred time to the Jews, 
and they kept it year after year, as Moses said they should. 

"Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh 
day shal] be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten 



'"///.sMIilti'iMi 




THE SPRINKLING OP BLOOD. 



86 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither 
shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. 

'^And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done 
because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of 
Egypt. 

''And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a 
memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth: 
for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. 




THE PASSOVER. 



"Thou shalt therefore keej) this ordinance in his season from year 
to year." Ex. 13:6-10. 

It was right and necessary that the Jews should do this as long 
as they continued to be the nation and people of God. But when 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 87 

Jesus died as a sacrifice for all wlio would believe on liim, he became 
the true passover. Jesus, then, is our sacrifice, and is *'the Lamb of 
God, which taketh away the sin of the world. ' ' John 1 : 29. 

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THe Israelites Leave Eg'ypt. 

WHEN God's people left Egypt, he did not lead them through 
that part of the country where the Philistines (a warlike nation) lived;; 
for he said his people might become afraid when they had to fight, 
and would return to Egypt. **But God led the people about^ through 
the way of the wilderness of the Eed Sea. 

*^ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly 
sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you ; and ye 
shall carry up my bones away hence with you. 

^^And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to 
lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them 
light ; to go by day and night : he took not away the pillar of the cloud 
by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people/' 
Ex. 13 : 19, 21, 22. 

After they had left Egypt, God told Moses that Pharaoh's heart 
would again be hardened and he would follow and try to take them 
back with him; but God would prove that he was the Lord. 

When Pharaoh found out that the children of Israel were really 
gone, he said he ought not to have let them go. So he started after 
them at once with a large army. They overtook the Israelites as they 
were camping by the Red Sea. 

Again the people of God blamed Moses for getting them into 
greater trouble than they had be^n in, and said it would have been 
better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. 

''And Moses said unto the people. Fear ye not, stand still, and see 
the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to-day: for the 
Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more 
forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'' 
Ex. 14:13,14. 



as BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Although the people blamed Moses for all their troubles, his faith 
in God did not fail. He knew from whence his help must come, and 
so in faith cried to God. The answer was, **Go forward.*' 

This is God's command to his people to-day. They must not stop 
because the way seems hedged up before them; God can make a way 
when there is no way. 

"Have faith in God, 

And forward move; 
Stretch forth thy rod, 

'Twill God's strength prove." 

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Crossing tKe Red Sea. 

AVHAT a moment this must have been to them! In front the 

waters of the Red Sea, and behind the angry army of Pharaoh. But 

Moses told them to keep quiet, and the Lord would fight their battles. 

God said that Moses should lift up his rod and stretch it out over 
the sea. This time the water does not turn to blood ; instead the water 

divides and rolls back, and a nice path is opened before them. 

Another wonderful thing happened. The angel of the Lord, who 
had been leading them, turned and now went behind; and the cloud 
that went before them was now placed between them and the Egyptians, 
to whom it did not give any light, but God's people could see all right. 

**And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon 
the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right 
hand, and on their left. 

**And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst 
of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 

**And it came to pass, that in tlie morning watch the Lord looked 
unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the 
cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their 
chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians 




ISRAEL PASSING THROUGH THE RED SEA. 



90 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

said, Let us flee from the face of Israel ; for the Lord fighteth for them 
against the Egyptians. 

**And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the 
sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their 
chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his 
hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morn- 
ing appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord over- 
threw the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 

^^And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horse- 
men, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; 
there remained not so much as one of them. 

*'But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst 
of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, 
and on their left. 

^'Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the 
Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. 
And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians : 
and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant 
Moses." Ex. 14:22-3L 

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Great IVejoicin^. 

NOW that God had brought his people safely to the other side of 
the Red Sea and they could look back and know their enemies were 
destroyed in its waters, they were very happy. Now they believed 
God and Moses, and could see it was the Lord's hand that was lead- 
ing them. 

Moses and the children of Israel sang a song of praise to God. 
After repeating all the wonderful things he had done, they said, **Who 
is like unto thee, Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious 
in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?'' 

They had great reason to praise God; but they were going to 
meet some trials, as will soon be seen. 



92 i^EAUTlFllL STORIES 

All went well until they became thirsty and could find no water; 
then they began to complain again and blame Moses. 

They at last found some water, but it was bitter, and they could 
not drink it. God showed Moses a tree, which, when he had cast into 
the water, made it good to drink. 

God then told them that if they would keep his commandments 
and do what was right, he would not put upon them the diseases which 
had been brought upon the Egyptians, but he would be their healer. 

Then they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water and 
seventy palm-trees, and they encamped there by the waters. 

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111 tHe Wilderness. 

AS the people of God went on through the desert, of course many 
things happened. Sometimes they would rejoice, when they saw that 
God was blessing them. But they would forget these blessings in a 
Tery short time, and then they would find fault with Moses and Aaron 
for taking them away from Egypt. 

At one time they were very hungry and said, ^ ' Would to God we had 
died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by 
the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have 
brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with 
hunger.'' How unkind and unbelieving it was of the people to talk 
this way after God had done so much for them! 

The Lord told Moses that he had heard what the children of Israel 
liad said and that he would give them meat and bread to eat. 

^*And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered 
the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 

"And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face 
of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar 
frost on the ground. 

"And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, 
It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto 




STRIKING THE ROCK. 



94 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eaf 
Ex. 16 : 13-15. 

They were to gather just enough of the manna to last one day. 
But on the sixth day they were to gather enough for two days. God 
told them there would not be any manna on the seventh day. He gave 
them that day to rest in, and called it the Sabbath. 

There was a strange thing about the bread, or manna, that God 
gave them. He had told them to gather a certain amount for each 
day. If they gathered more or less, they had only enough when it 
was measured. 

Some who doubted that it would come again tried to save a little 
over until the next day; but it spoiled and became wormy. On the 
sixth day they gathered twice the amount, and it kept nicely. The 
Lord did not send any manna on the seventh day, or Sabbath. 

This manna was like a round white seed, and the taste of it was 
like a thin cake made with honey. 

Moses told Aaron to put some of it away in a golden pot; then 
their children could see it in after years and know how God had fed 
his people in the wilderness. 

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God Helps in Every Time of Need. 

AGAIN the children of Israel came to a place where no water 
could be found. This time there was not even bitter water to be made 
sweet. They seemed to forget everything God had done for them, and 
wrere almost ready to kill Moses because he had brought them to that 
place. 

Then Moses prayed, and God told him to strike a large rock with 
his rod, and water would run out of the rock. 

Some people came to fight with the children of Israel. These 
people were called Amalekites, and were descended from Esau, Jacob 's 
brother. They were the first enemies that fought against Jacob's 
descendants. God made Israel fight their own battle this time; but 




AAEON AND HUR HOLD UP THE HANDS OF MOSES. 



96 - LEAUTIFUL STORIES 

their victory was gained only as the banner or rod of God was faith- 
fully held above them. 

Moses took Aaron and Ilur and went up on the top of a hill. 
Then he held the rod and both hands up toward heaven. As long as 
he did this, the victory was on Israel's side; but the battle was long 
and his arms became tired. When he let his hands down, then Amalek 
had the victory. So Aaron and Hur held his hands up for him until 
the battle was won. 

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Jethro Visits tKe CKildren of Israel. 

MOSES' wife, Zipporah, did not understand the great work Ood 
had called her husband to do. She had returned to her father Jethro 
and taken their children with her. 

Wlien they heard of the way God had delivered Israel out of 
Egypt and of the many miracles that had been done, Jethro took her 
and her two sons and brought them to Moses. 

Jethro was glad for all the goodness of God to Israel and said, 
^'Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hands of the 
Egyptians. '^ Then they offered sacrifices to God. 

Jethro saw how much work Moses had in judging the people and 
telling them what to do; so he told him to choose men who feared God 
and have them help him in this matter. Moses did as his father-in- 
law said, and chose able men ''and made them heads over the people, 
rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of 
tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they 
brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.*' 

In this way Moses proved his meekness. He was wiUiiig to re- 
ceive instruction from any source. A wise man will receive instruction 
and be still wiser, but a fool hateth in^^truction. 

Afterward Jethro returned to his home, and the children of Israel 
went on toward the desert of Sinai. 




THK TF,N COMMANDMENTS. 



98 " BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Mount Sinai. 

THE people were now near the place where God had talked to 
Moses out of the burning bush. The Lord was going to talk again, 
but this time he would be behind a cloud. 

He came down upon Mount Sinai and then called Moses, '*and 
Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the 
mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell 
the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, 
and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 

**Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my 
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: 
for all the earth is mine : and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, 
and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto 
the children of Israel. 

'^And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and 
laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. 
And all the people answered together, and said. All that the Lord hath 
spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto 
the Lord. 

*'And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick 
cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe 
thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.*' 
Ex. 19:3-9. 

Then he went down and gathered the people together at the foot 
of the mountain, and God spoke to them the ten commandments. 

There was thunder and lightning, and the mountain trembled and 
seemed to be on fire. When the people saw this and heard the voice 
of God, they were very much afraid and said to Moses, ^' Speak thou 
thyself, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 

^VAnd Moses said unto the people. Fear not: for God is come to 
prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick 
darkness where God was. ' ' Ex. 20 : 19-21. 




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100 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

He remained forty days and nights up in the mountain alone with 
God. During that time he neither ate nor drank. 

When God finished speaking to Moses, he gave him two flat pieces 
of stone on which he had written the ten commandments. 

It was not strange that the people should wonder what had become 
of Moses. After he had been up in the mountain for some time, 
they chose Aaron for their leader and said to him, ''Make us gods, 
which shall go before us. ' ' 

It seems strange that after all God had done in their midst they 
should be so unbelieving. They forgot the living God and his com- 
mandments, and began to worship an idol that could neither hear 
nor speak. 

To please them, Aaron had taken some of their jewelry and made 
a calf of gold and set it up; then all the people danced and sang be- 
fore it. While they were doing this, Moses came down out of the 
mountain, and oh ! how sad he must have felt to find them worshiping 
this golden calf! 

Well, it was more than he could stand, and he became very angry 
with them. He threw down the tables of stone and broke them; then 
he took the golden calf and burned it and ground it up until there 
was nothing left but a fine dust. This he put in water and made the 
peopJe drink of it. 

Moses begged the Lord to forgive the sin of the people., The 
Lord did so, but not before many had died because of their sins. 

Two more tables of stone were made, on which the ten command- 
ments were again written. These ten commandments or words were 
called the covenant or words of the covenant. God said they were 
to obe}' these, or they could never enter the land they were seeking. 

(lod always blesses people who do his will. His commandments 
are not a burden to those who love him. We should love God and 
obey nil the commands he has given to us. They are for our good 
and his glory. If we trust and obey him, heaven will be our eternal 
home. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 
THe Tabernacle. 



101 



WHILE in the mountain, God showed Moses the pattern of a 
tabernacle, or house, which he told him to have the people make. 

This house was to be the place where God would dwell among, 
and meet with, his people. It was to contain two rooms, with a 
yard, or court, around it. 




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tup: tabernacle. 



The people could go into the court, but no one, except the priests, 
was to enter the two rooms of the tabernacle. The priests were men 
specially chosen for that work. 

God said that Aaron and his sons should be the- priests. They 
were to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people, present gifts to 
the Lord, and burn incense before him. 



102 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



' There were altars for this purpose; one in the court, and one in 
the first room of the tabernacle. 

The altar in the court was made of wood covered with brass. 
Here the priests offered sacrifices daily for the sins of the people. 

The altar in the first room, called the holy place, was also made 
of wood, but covered with gold. Upon this altar the priests burned 
incense. This incense was made by mixing some spices with the 




TIIE HIGH PRIEST IN THE HOLIEST OF HOLIES. 



gum of certain trees. When it was burned, a sweet smell arose. 
It was to be burned every night and morning, and was like the 
prayers of God's people, which come up before him as incense. 

In the first room was a golden candlestick or lamp-stand, on which 
lamps were kept burning all the time. 

A table also was there, which was covered with gold, and which 



FROWl THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 

held the shew-bread; '-This bread was freshly baked every Sabbath 
and placed in two rows upon the table. There were twelve loaves^-^ 
one for eaeh of the twelve tribes of Israel. When fresh loaves were 
placed on the table, the others were eaten by the priests. - 

Into the second room, called the holiest of holies, none but Aatbii 
the high priest conld enter. This room contained the ark of God's 
covenant, or the ten commandments. This was a chest or box covered 
inside and outside with gold. It contained the tables of stone on 
which were written the ten comiiiandments that God gave to Moses 
in the mountain. • ^^^ 

The lid of this ark was covered with pure gold, and Was called 
the mercy-seat. This mercy-seat was now to be God's throne. Proia 
there he would make known his will and rule his people. Above the 
lid were two angels or cherubim made of pure gold, one at each end. 
Their wings covered the mercy-seat as if they were guarding the 
sacred place. 

A beautiful curtain, called the veil, hung on four pillars, between 
the two rooms of the tabernacle. Another curtain formed the door 
from the court into the first room. 

The tabernacle was to be made in such a way that it could be 
taken down and carried with them when they went from place to 
place. The tribe of Levi was chosen to set it up, take charge of and 
carry it. God told Moses that for the building of the tabernacle he 
had chosen Bezaleel and Aholiab and had given them wisdom that 
they might know how everything should be made. 

Moses told the people all that God had said to him in the moun- 
tain. 

'*And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up^ and 
every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord-s 
offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for 
all his service, and for the holy garments. \ , 

**The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, 
every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for 



104 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

all manner of work, wliicb. the Lord had commanded to be made by 
the hand of Moses. ^' Ex. 35:21,29. 

They brought much more tlian enough. '^Por the stuff they had 
was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.^^ So Moses 
.told them to not bring any more. 

.Wlien all things were finished and it was set up, God came and 
dwelt within it as he had said he would do. 

, The cloud which had been their guide thus far now rested above 
the^ tent and the glory of God filled- tlie tabernacle. When he wanted 
Uiem to move in their journey, the cloud would rise up from over the 
tabernacle; and where it stopped, there they encamped, for it was 
their guide. Thus God led his people through the wilderness. 

THe People Complaii^. 

ALTHOUGH the Lord had given his people all they could eat 
while in the wilderness, they were not satisfied. 

The manna did not taste as good to them as it did at first. They 
seemed to forget how nmch suffering they had endured in Egypt and 
only remembered the different kinds of food they had eaten there. 

Then they cried and said, "Who shall give us flesh to eat? We 
remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, 
and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: but 
now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna 
before our eyes." Num. 11:4-6. 

''Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, 
every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was 
kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. And Moses said unto 
the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy ser\^ant? and wherefore 
have I not found favor in thy sight, that then layest the burden of 
all this people upon me?" 

'^Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for 
they weep unto me, saying. Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 105 

able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 
And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, 
if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretched- 
ness.'^ Num. 11: 10, 11, 13-15. 

Moses must have been very much discouraged to talk to the Lord 
in this way. But God had promised to care for these people, and did 
so even though they found fault with the way he did it. 

God gave the people flesh, but his wrath was kindled against them 
because of their greediness. ''And there went forth a wind from the 
Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, 
as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey 
on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits 
high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that 
day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the 
quails:. he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread 
them all abroad for themselves round about the camp." Num. 11: 31, 32. 

Moses had wondered how the Lord could give the people enough 
meat to last a whole month, but it was not a hard thing for God 
to do. ''He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their 
soul." Psa. 106:15. 

People who murmur or complain never prosper in their souls. 
These things displease God, for they destroy that which is precious 
in his sight— love, joy, peace, gentlenesa, kindness, patience, faith; 
these are the things he loves and delights to see in our hearts. He 
bids us do all things without murmurings and disputings, that we 
may be blameless and harmless. 

God also sent help to Moses, for he really had too many cares 
resting upon him. He told Moses to choose seventy men; and when 
they were gathered together, the Spirit of the Lord came upon them 
and they prophesied. 

Two of the number, Eldad and Medad, for some reason, did not 
get to the tabernacle, but they prophesied. 

Moses here again proved his humility ; for when the people wanted 
him to forbid these two to prophesy because they had not been with 



106 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

the others, he said he would be glad to see all Israel prophets and 
the Spirit of the Lord resting upon them. 

About this time Moses counted the people and found there were 
603, 550 men over twenty years of age. As we shall find later on,, 
only two of this number, Caleb and Joshua, were allowed to enter 
the land of Canaan, because all the rest found so much fault with 
God's way of leading and delivering them. 

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Spies Are Sent. 

GOD told Moses to send men over into Canaan as spies, to see 
what was there. And so he chose a man from each tribe and **sent 
them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them. Get you up 
this way southward, and go up into the mountain: and see the land, 
what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be 
strong or weak, few or many; and what the land is that they dwell 
in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell, 
in, whether in tents, or in strongholds; and what the land is, whether 
it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye 
of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time 
was the time of the first-ripe grapes. ' ' Num. 13 : 17-20. * ^ So they went 
up and searched the land.'' 

**And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from 
thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between 
two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the 
figs. 

**The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster 
of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. 

**And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. 

**And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all 
the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of 
Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all 
the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



107 



'^And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither 
thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and thi& 
is the fruit of it. 

^^Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and 
the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the chil- 
dren of Anak there." Num. 13: 23-28. 




THE SPIES RETURN FROM CANAAN. 



When the children of Israel heard that the people were strong 
and that fierce nations dwelt in the land, they were afraid and felt that 
they should never be able to possess it. 

Joshua and Caleb tried liard to quiet the fears of the people, but 
the other spies said they saw ginnts tliere and that they themselves 



108 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

were as grasshoppers before them. Then the courage of the people 
sank, and they wept all that night. 

The people again began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, 
and said to one another, ''Let us make a captain, and let us return 
into Egypt.'' 

Then Joshua and Caleb, who ''were of them that searched the 
land, rent their clothes: and they spake unto all the company of the 
children of Israel, saying. The land, which we passed through to search 
it, is an exceeding good land. 

"If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, 
and give it us ; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 

"Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people 
of the land ; for they are bread for us : their defense is departed from 
them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. 

' ' But all the congregation bade them stone them with stones. And 
the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation be- 
fore all the children of Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, How 
long will this people provoke mef and how long will it be ere they 
believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I 
will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make 
of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. 

"And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear 
it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) 
and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have 
heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen 
face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou 
goest before them, by daytime in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of 
fire by night. 

' ' Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations 
which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the 
Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware 
unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 

' ' Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto 
the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 109- 

from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned 
according to thy word. ' ' Num. 14 : 6-16, 19, 20. 

But God said that none of those who were over twenty years of 
age should be permitted to enter the land of Canaan, except Joshua 
and Caleb. ''But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, 
them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have 
despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wil- 
derness.'' Num. 14:31,32. 

When Moses told the people what the Lord had said, they were 
very sorry and decided that they would go into the land regardless 
of what God had said. 

Early the next morning they started to go. Moses told them not 
to go, for God would not go with them ; but the people would not listen 
and went. ''Nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and 
Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came 
down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them 
and discomfited them, even unto Hormah. ' ' Num. 14 : 44, 45. 

God was very angry with the children of Israel at this time and 
would have killed them all, had not Moses prayed so earnestly for 
them. 

In answer to Moses' prayer, God said that when all those whom 
Moses had numbered the first time were dead, then their children 
should go and dwell in the land he had meant to give to their fathers. 
And this is why the children of Israel wandered around in the wilder- 
ness for forty years. 



TKe Rebellion of KoraK. 

SOME of the people became jealous of Moses and Aaron. They 
could not see why only Aaron and his sons should be priests. 

So one man of the name of Korah, who was a Levite, but not a 
priest, rose up before Moses, and with him Dathan and Abiram and 



110 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

SL number of people, who felt as he did. Korah said to Moses and 
Aaron: '^Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are 
holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then 
lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? 

''And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: and he spake 
unto Korah and unto all his company, saying. Even to-morrow the 
Lord will shew who are his, and w^ho is holy; and will cause him to 
come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to 
come near unto him. 

''And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: 
seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath 
separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to 
himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand 
before the congregation to minister unto them? 

"And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren 
the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also! 

"For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered 
together against the Lord : and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against 
himr' Num. 16:3-5, 8-lL 

After this when Moses sent word for Dathan and Abiram to come, 
they said, "We will not come up: is it a small thing that thou hast 
brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill 
us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over 
usr' Num. 16:12, 13. 

"When Moses saw how they felt and all they were doing against 
God, he was much displeased. Kemember, it was God who had given 
Moses and Aaron their work to do. 

Korah no doubt thought he and his sons had as much right to be 
priests as Aaron had ; and the Reubenites felt that they had more, for 
Reuben was the eldest son of Israel. 

Moses told the people to all come to the tabernacle, and there God 
would show who should be priest. 

When they were all gathered together, the Lord told Moses and 
Aaron to go to one side and he would destroy the people in a moment, 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. Ill 

for tliey were allowing themselves to feel as Korah and his company 
did. But Moses and Aaron fell npon their faces and prayed earnestly 
that God would have mercy and not do this. 

Then the Lord told them to bid the people get away from those 
wicked men, or they would die with them. 

^^And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent 
me to do all these works ; for I have not done them of mine own mind. 
If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited 
after the visitation of all m.en ; then the Lord hath not sent me. 

*'But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her 
mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and 
they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these 
men have provoked the Lord. 

' ^ And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these 
words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: and the 
«arth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, 
and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 

**They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into 
the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from 
among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them 
fled at the cry of them: for they said. Lest the earth swallow us up 
also. 

'*And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two 
hundred and fifty men that offered incense. ' ' Num. 16 : 28-35. 

The Lord told the people to always remember what had happened 
to Korah and his company, and never do as they had done, or sympa- 
thize with any one acting in that way. But very soon after this, the 
people found fault with Moses and Aaron and said, ^^Ye have killed 
the people of the Lord. ' ' 

God then sent a plague among them, which came very near destroy- 
ing all of them, but Moses and Aaron prayed so earnestly that some 
of their lives were spared. 

The plague did not stop until fourteen thousand and seven hundred 
had died, *^ beside them that died about the matter of Korah.'' 



112 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Aaron's IVod. 

'^AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children 
of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of 
their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers 
twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. 

*'And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for 
one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. 

*'And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation 
before the testimony, where I will meet with you. 

^^And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall 
choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmur- 
ings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. 

^'And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one 
of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, accord- 
ing to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron 
was among their rods. 

^^And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle 
of witness. 

^^And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the 
tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house 
of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, 
and yielded almonds. 

''And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto 
the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. 

''And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before 
the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou 
shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. 
And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did he. 

"And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying. Behold, 
we die, we perish, we all perish. Whosoever cometh anything near 
unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed 
with dying r' Num. 17: 1-13. 



114 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Thus the Lord put an end to all the disputing about who had the 
right to the priesthood. 

The Lord told Aaron that he should not have an inheritance in or 
part of the land to which they were going, for, said God, ^^I am thy 
part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel/' 

**Vf "itf 'ilf •V' •V' •^ <^ 4e? •Vr •Vf •V' rtf* 4Cf ^ 

THe Forty Years* ^Vanderin^. 

DURING the years the children of Israel were wandering about 
in the wilderness, many things happened. 

God commanded them to keep the feast of the passover each year. 
This they did in remembrance of the night they left Egypt. That 
night the death angel had passed over them without harm, but had 
brought death to every Eg\7)tian's house. Num. 9:1-5. 

The Lord commanded Moses to make two silver trumpets. These 
werei to be used for many purposes, such as calling the people together, 
or warning them of danger. 

''And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; 
and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your 
generations. And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy 
that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; 
;and ye shall be remembered before the Ijord your God, and ye shall 
be saved from your enemies." Num. 10:8,9. 

At one time Miriam and Aaron found fault with Moses and 
thought they were able to do his work. The Lord heard what they 
said and called them before the tabernacle. 

**And he said. Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among 
you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and 
will speak unto him in a dream. 

**My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in 
dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: where- 
fore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 115 

'^ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he 
departed/' Num. 12:6-9. 

When Aaron looked at his sister, he saw she was covered with 
a dreadful disease called leprosy. Any one that had this disease was 
sent away into a lonely place to dwell and die. 

Leprosy is like sin; it eats into the flesh as sin does into the 
soul. Only Grod's power can heal it, and his power only can remove 
sin. 

Moses prayed that God would heal Miriam, and his prayer was 
answered; but she was shut outside the camp of Israel for seven days. 
Then she returned and the children of Israel continued their journey. 

At last they came to Kadesh, and here Miriam died. This was 
the place from which Moses had sent the spies nearly forty years be- 
fore. All those who had been unbelieving and disobedient at that 
time were now dead. 

Moses and Aaron were very old and could not live much longer; 
but God meant to show Moses, before taking him, the land he had 
been seeking all these years. 

Just before Aaron died, Moses sent men over into the land of 
Edom. This was the country where the descendants of Esau lived. 

*^And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, 
Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath 
befallen us: how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have 
dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our 
fathers : 

'^And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and 
sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egj^pt: and, behold, 
we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 

^*Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass 
through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of 
the water of the wells : we will go by the king 's highway, we will not 
turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. 

''And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I 
come out against thee with the sword. 



116 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

**And the children of Israel said nnto him, We will go by the 
highway: and if I and my cattle drink of tliy water, then I will pay 
for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet 

'^And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out 
against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 

''Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: 
wherefore Israel turned away from him." Num. 20:14-21. 

Although the Edomites refused to let the children of Israel pass 
through their land, Israel did not dare to fight against them; for God 
commanded that they should let them alone. ''Meddle not with them; 
for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth^ 
because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. ' ' Deut. 2 : 5. 

The Lord also gave the command not to fight with the Moabites. 
"And the Lord said unto me. Distress not the Moabites, neither con- 
tend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a 
possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a 
possession." 

But tliey had no command that would keep them from fighting 
witli the other nations. 

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Aaron's Deatli* 

THE children of Israel were now soon to be in sight of the great 
and beautiful land God had promised them ; but because of the trouble 
at Meribah God had said that Moses and Aaron could not lead the 
people across the river. 

Miriam was dead, and now the time had come that Aaron must die. 

"And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, jour- 
neyed from Kadesh, and came unto Mount Hor. 

"And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by 
the coast of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered unto 
his people: for he shall not enter into the land which T have given 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK, 117 

unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at 
the water of Meribah. 

^'Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount 
Hor: and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar 
his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die 
there. 

And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into 
Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 

**And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon 
Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and 
Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 

'^And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they 
mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.'' Num. 
20:22-29. 

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Israel MarcKin^ to Canaan. 

IT is very interesting to follow the march of the children of Israel, 
when every day's journey brought them nearer to the land of promise. 
To them it was a place of beauty and hope; for they had long seen 
nothing but the wilderness. 

As they marched along and were forced to fight with their enemies, 
God gave them the victory as long as they obeyed and trusted him. 

When they came to the land of the Amorites, who were descendants 
of Canaan, Israel sent messengers to their king, saying, *'Let me pass 
through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vine- 
yards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go 
along by the king's highway, until we be past thy borders. 

*^And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: 
but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel 
into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 

**And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed 
his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: 
for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. 



118 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

^^And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the 
cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof. 

**And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages 
thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there. 

^*And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the 
king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the 
battle at Edrei. 

**And the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have de- 
livered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou 
shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which 
dwelt at Heshbon. 

**So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there 
was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.'' Num. 21: 
22-25, 32-35. 

This was what Moses had prophesied in his song just after they 
crossed through the lied Sea. Ex. 15 : 14-17. 

This land in which the Amorites dwelt, and which Israel took from 
them because they would not let them go through it, had once be- 
longed to the Moabites. But it had been taken from them in battle. 
It did not belong to them at this time, and so Israel was clear in 
taking it. 

Later the tribes of Eeuben and Gad asked that they might have 
this as their part of the promised land, and it was given them. 

The wilderness life of Israel, with all its hardships and sorrows, 
was now nearly ended. They stood almost ready to enter the land 
of Canaan. Still they were to have many fierce battles before they 
could possess the land, and must pass through the river Jordan. 

As a holy secret was hidden behind the veil of the holiest of holies 
in the tabernacle, just so we can draw a lesson from the way God 
led the children of Israel. 

In the first place, they were in cruel bondage to a wicked king. 
This is the way with the sinner to-day. He is in bondage to sin, and 
his king is Satan. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. ^119' 

Jesus came to deliver sinners from Egypt, or sin; but Satan will 
not let them go until tliey reach the Red Sea, or blood of Jesus. 

His blood separates them from sin and Satan as the Red Sea 
separated the Israelites from the land of Egypt and their former life 
of bondage. But like the children of Israel, who journeyed through 
a wilderness toward the land which God had promised them, the 
Christian must press on to obtain the blessing God has promised him. 

This blessing and rest is a spiritual one. Like the pardon of 
sins, it is received through faith in Jesus. In the Bible it is called 
by different names, such as the *'gift of the Holy Spirit," *' Christ in 
you, " ^ ^ a pure- heart, " * ' sanctification. " 

The Israelites had to overcome and destro}^ their enemies through 
the power of God before they possessed their inheritance, the promised 
land. The enemies of the one whose sins are forgiven but who is not 
yet sanctified wholly, are the evil feelings and desires of the old 
nature. 

This old nature must be put off and cleansed away by faith in the 
blood of Jesus, before the Christian can possess the holy land of 
spiritual Canaan. This is Beulah land, where the soul is very happy, 
for Jesus dwells in the heart. 

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Balaam and tlie Aiig(el* 

WHEN Balak, king of Moab, saw all that Israel had done to the 
^morites, he was afraid they would do the same to him. There are 
so many of them, said he, they will ' ' lick up all that are round 
about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field." 

There was a man named Balaam, who belonged to tlie Midianites, 
a nation living close by. He was a kind of prophet and magician. 

Balak sent to this man and said, *^ Behold, there is a people come 
out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they 
abide over against me. Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me 
this people ; for they are too many for me. " 



igO BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

iivv But God said to Balaam, **Thou shalt not curse the people: for 
they are blessed. ' ' 

, : Balaam refused to go when the Lord told him this, but Balak sent 
f^r him again. He promised Balaam to make him a rich and great 
mail if he would just curse that people. 

:.;j Balaam said it would make no difference how much wealth would 
JbQ given him, he could speak only the words God would give him. 
HQwever, h^ wanted the riches so much that he went. 
-' God was angry because he went, and sent his a,ngel on before 
him; **and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary 
against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants 
w:ere with him, 

*^And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and 
his sword drawn in his hand : and the ass turned aside out of the way, 
,ai;id went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into 
the way. 

. "But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a 
^all being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass 
saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed 
Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 

^^And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow 
place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under 
Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with 
a staff. 

*^And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto 
Balaam, What have T done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these 
three times! And Balaam said unto the ass. Because thou hast 
mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would 
I kill thee. 

''And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which 
thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day ? was I ever wont 
to do so unto thee? And he said. Nay. 

''Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the 




baijAam meets the angei^. 



122 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his 
hand : and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 

^^And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou 
smitten thine ass these three times! behold, I went out to withstand 
thee, because thy way is perverse before me: and the ass saw me, and 
turned from me these three times: unless she had turnd from me, 
surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 

^'And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for 
I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore^ 
if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 

^^And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: 
but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. 
So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. " Num. 22:22-35. 

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he was glad and 
went to meet him; but Balaam told him he could only say the things 
God told him to say. 

Balak took him to three different places where he could see all 
the hosts of Israel. At each place Balaam prophesied a blessing 
rather than a curse. 

He also prophesied of the coming of Christ. ''I shall see him,^ 
but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star 
out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite 
the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Slieth." 

Balak was so angry that he sent Balaam home without making 
him rich or great as he had promised to do. 

Balaam was finally killed in battle, when Israel fought against 
the Midianites. 

Balaam was a very strange man. In a way, he can be compared 
with Judas, the apostle who betrayed Christ. Both followed the 
truth to a certain extent. 

Balaam acknowledged the God of Israel, while Judas went so 
far as to become a disciple of Christ. But when the testing time came, 
both loved riches better than the Lord. 

They both stood at the place where they had to choose either the 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 123 

right or wrong way. And sad as it seems, both chose the way that 
soon ended their lives. 

Balaam knew God said he would not curse Israel. It was money 
that tempted him to take the course he did. And it was money that 
tempted Judas to betray his Master. The love of money is truly 
a root of every kind of evil. 

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In Si^Kt of tKe Land of Promise. 

MOSES was now very old, and was the last of those whom God 
had said must die in the wilderness. He had brought the people 
within sight of the promised land. Now to enter, they had only to 
cross the river Jordan. 

God told him to number the people again ; for these had not been 
counted when the people had been numbered before in the wilderness. 

There were over six hundred and twenty-six thousand men, be- 
sides the women and children. A very great company indeed. 

^' And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun,, 
a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; and set 
him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and 
give him a charge in their sight. 

**And thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the- 
congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 

"And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask 
counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his 
word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, 
and all the children of Israel with him, even all tlie congregation. 

'*And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua,. 
and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation : 
and he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord, 
commanded by the hand of Moses. ' ' Num. 27 : 18-23. 

Then God told Moses what the people were to do after he died. 
He told him just how the land was to be divided. The Levites were 



124 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

to have no inheritance or part of the land, but certain cities were 
to be set apart for them to dwell in. 

These cities, forty-eight in number, were to be scattered through- 
out the other tribes. This was in order that they might keep the 
people in remembrance of their duty toward God. 

Six of them were to be cities of refuge for the children of Israel 
and for the strangers who might dwell among them. To them every 
one could flee that killed any person by accident. There they could 
stay until the death of the high priest, when they were set free and 
could go where they chose. 

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DeatK of Moses. 

ALL was now ready. Moses had given all of God's command- 
ments to the people. Now God told him to go up into Mount Nebo. 

Moses knew he was going to die; for God had told him all about 
it. The Lord said that before Moses died he should see all the land 
the people would soon possess. 

All his life his care had been for Israel, and he was faithful to 
them even unto his death. His last desire was that God would set 
over the people a man who would be a true shepherd to them. 

Joshua had been chosen, and then Moses sang a song of thanks- 
giving and praise to God. He thanked him for all his loving and 
tender care, and for the way he had led them through the wilderness. 
Deut. 32:1-43. 

Then Moses blessed all the people, each according to the tribe 
to which he belonged. 

He closed the blessing by saying, ^^The eternal God is thy refuge, 
and undemeath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the 
enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. 

*^ Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob 
shall be upon a land of com and wine; also his heavens shall drop 
down dew. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 125 

"Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, people saved 
by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy ex- 
cellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou 
shalt tread upon their high places. 

*^And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain 
of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. 

"And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan. And 
all Naphtali, and the land of Epliraim, and Manasseh, and all the land 
of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the 
valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. 

"And the Lord said unto him. This is the land which I sware unto 
Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy 
seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not 
go over thither. v 

"So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab,^^ 
according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in 
the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his 
sepulchre unto this day. 

"And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: 
his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 

"And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab 
thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were 
ended.'' Deut. 33:27-29; 34:1-8. 



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JosHtia Takes the Place of Moses. 

NOW that Moses, their leader, was dead, Joshua took his place He 
tried to do his work just as he thought Moses would have done it, 
and obeyed all the commandments of God. 

But "there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses,, 
whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, 
which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and 
to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and 



126 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel. ' ' 
Dent. 34:10-12. 

The Lord said unto Joshua: *' Moses my servant is dead; now 
therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the 
land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 

^' Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that 
have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 

^ ' There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days 
of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not 
fail thee, nor forsake thee. 

"Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest ob- 
serve to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant com- 
manded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that 
thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. ^' Josh. 1:2,3,5,7. 

Then Joshua commanded all the people to get ready, for in three 
days they would pass over the river Jordan and possess the land. 

*'And they answered Joshua saying. All that thou commandest 
us we will do, and withersoever thou sendest us, we will go. Accord- 
ing as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto 
thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. 

"Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and 
will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he 
shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.^' Josh. 
1:16-18. 

Joshua then sent two men as spies to Jericho. He did not tell 
the people what he had done. Perhaps he was afraid they might feel 
as their fathers did forty years before. 

The spies went and entered the house of a woman of the name 
of Rahab, who hid them. 

"And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying. Bring fortli 
the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for 
they be come to search out all the country. 

"And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, 
There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: aiid it 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 127 

came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, 
that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not; pursue after 
them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. 

'^But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid 
them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. 

^'And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the 
fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, 
they shut the gate. 

"And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon 
the roof; and she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given 
you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the 
inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 

"For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the 
Red Sea for you, when you came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto 
the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, 
Sihon, and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 

"And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, 
neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you : 
for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth 
beneath." Josh. 2:3-lL 

She said she would help them to escape if they would promise 
to save her life and the lives of her people. The men promised they 
would do so if she would not utter a word of their business. 

They told her that when the children of Israel came into the land, 
she must hang a red cord from her window. She was also to be sure 
to have her relatives with her in the house. 

She then let them down by a rope through the window ; for her 
house was upon the tow^n wall. 

The men hid in the mountain three days and then returned to the 
camp of Israel. 

They told Joshua all that had happened and said, "Truly the 
Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the in- 
habitants of the countrv do faint because of us. ' ' 



128 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Crossing Jordan. 

**AND it came to pass after three days, that the officers went 
through the host; and they commanded the people, saying, When ye 
see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the 
Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go 
after it. 

^^Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thou- 
sand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the 
way by which ye must go : for ye have not passed this way heretofore. 

^^And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to- 
morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. 

^^And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying. Take up the ark of 
the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the 
ark of the covenant, and went before the people. 

^^And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify 
thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with 
Moses, so will I be with thee. 

*'And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the 
covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jor- 
dan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 

^^And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the 
priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall 
rest in the waters of Jordan, that tlie waters of Jordan shall be cut off 
from the waters that come down from above: and they shall stand 
upon an heap. 

**And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord 
stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites 
passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over 
Jordan. 

^^And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the 
place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant 
stood: and they are there unto this day. 

^' About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the 
Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. 




CEOSSING THE JORDAN. 



130 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

^*And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the 
covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and 
the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the 
waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his 
banks, as they did before/' elosh. 3:2-8, 13, 17; 4: 9, 13, 18. 

God said to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, and have 
them each take a stone from the river. These stones they were to 
carry on their shoulders and leave in a heap in the place where they 
stayed that night. 

'^And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did 
Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 

''And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your 
children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean 
these stones! Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel 
came over this Jordan on dry land. 

''For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from 
before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to 
the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone 
over: that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the 
Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for 
ever." Josh. 4:20-24. 

When the Canaanites heard that Israel was really on their side of 
the river Jordan and how they came to be there, they were afraid. 
''Their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, be- 
cause of the children of Israel." 

The feast of the passover was then kept in memory of God's 
great goodness and love. 

The day after this feast the Lord stopped sending the manna, 
for there was plenty of food in that country. 

Then Joshua went up near Jericho to see what would be the best 
course to take to destroy it. 

As he came near the city, a man met him who had a sword in his 
hand, and Joshua asked him if he were a friend or an enemy. 

The man said, "As captain of the host of the Lord am I come." 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 131 

Then Joshua fell upon his face and worshiped him, for he knew this 
was an angel from the Lord. 

Then the same words were spoken to Joshua that Moses heard 
from the burning bush. Josh. 5: 15. 

How happy he must have been to know the same Lord was lead- 
ing him that had led Moses for so many years ! 

The Lord said to Joshua, ^ ' I have given into thine hand Jericho. * * 

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THe City of JericHo. 

JERICHO was a beautiful city and was very strongly built. 
Great, high walls were all around it. 

The people within these walls saw and heard of the wonderful 
things the Lord was doing for Israel. As Israel came closer, great 
fear settled down upon the people in Jericho. 

Still they meant to resist as long as they could. They shut up the 
gates of their city securely, and * ' none went out and none came in. ' ' 

But even though they were inside these great walls, it was an 
easy matter for God to sweep them all away before his host. 

The angel of the Lord who had talked with Joshua told him just 
how he should do to take Jericho. 

The people were to march around the city once every day for 
six days. The armed men were to go first, then seven priests with 
trumpets, next the ark of the covenant, and last the rest of the people. 

The priests were to blow with their trumpets, but the rest of the 
people were not to speak a word. 

The seventh day they were to march around the city seven times; 
and when the priests blew a long blast with the trumpets, all the 
people were to shout. Then the walls of the city would fall down be- 
fore them. 

They were commanded not to leave any one alive, except Rahab 
and her people. She was to be saved because she had helped the 
spies to escape. 



132 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



Everything belonging to the people in Jericho was to be destroy ed^ 
except things made of silver, gold, brass, or iron. These were to be 
kept for the Lord 's use in the tabernacle. God was to fight this battle, 
and it was right that he alone should have the honor. 

What a strange sight it must have been to the people inside 
Jericho! They could see the people marching around their city day 
after day. All were ready for battle, and no one spoke a word. 




MARCHING AROUND JERICHO. 



On the seventh day they went around seven times. Nothing 
strange happened until the seventh round, then at the command of 
Joshua all the people shouted with a great shout. 

Wliat a sight ! Down went the great walls, and Jericho was taken. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 133 

When the battle ended, Joshua supposed that everything was de- 
stroyed, except what the Lord had told them to save. Joshua also 
said that if any one ever tried to build Jericho again, he would be 
cursed. Five hundred and twenty-two years later a man of the name 
of Hiel did rebuild Jericho and suffered because of it. 1 Kings 16 : 34. 

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THe City of Ai. 

THIS city was much smaller than Jericho, but it was built upon 
a hill. Joshua sent men to see if it would be hard to take. 

When they returned, they said not to let all of the people go, 
for two or three thousand men would be able to take the city. They 
said there was no need of making the rest work so hard. 

No doubt they thought that as Jericho had been taken so easily, 
they would have success on every hand. If all the people had been 
true to God, this would have been so. 

We do not read that Joshua looked to the Lord for any special 
leading in the matter. He did as the men had said and sent onl}^ 
three thousand men. But oh! what defeat! 

The people of Ai came out and drove them back, and about thirty- 
six of the children of Israel were killed. 

When Joshua heard what had happened he "rent his clothes, 
and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the 
eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 
And Joshua said, Alas, Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought 
this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, 
to destroy us! would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the 
other side of Jordan! 

"0 Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before 
their enemies ! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land 
shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from 
the earth : and what wilt thou do unto thy great name ! And the Lord 



134 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy 
facer^ Josh. 7:6-10. 

The Lord then told Joshua why they had heen driven hack. 

** Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant 
which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed 
thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put 
it even among their own stuff. 

'* Therefore the chidlren of Israel could not stand before their 
enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they 
were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy 
the accursed from among you. 

**Up, sanctify the people, and say. Sanctify yourselves against 
to-morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed 
thing in the midst of thee, Israel: thou canst not stand before thine 
enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. 

**In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your 
tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come 
according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord 
shall take shall come by households; and the household which the 
Lord shall take shall come man by man. 

''And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing 
shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath : because he hath trans- 
gressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in 
Israel.'' Josh. 7:11-15. 



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AcHan's Sin. 



IN the morning Joshua rose up early and called the people be^- 
fore him. Tribe after tribe was called, and the tribe of Judah was 
taken. When Achan, who belonged to this tribe, came forward, the 
Lord said he was the man. 

''And Joshua said unto Achan. My son, give, I pray thee, glory 




ACHAN CONFESSING HIS SIN. 



136 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me 
now what thou hast done ; hide it not from me. 

"And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned 
against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus haA'^e I done : When 
I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred 
shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I 
coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth 
in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. 

"So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, 
behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took 
them out of tlie midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and 
unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before he Lord. 

"And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of 
Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and 
his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, 
and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the 
valley of Achor. 

"And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall 
trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and 
burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 

"And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. 
So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the 
name of that place was called. The valley of Achor, unto this day.'' 
Josh. 7:19-26. It is an awful thing to disobey God. 

When Achan was killed, the anger of the Lord ceased. He said 
to Joshua: "Pear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people 
of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy 
hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: and 
thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her 
king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for 

3, prey: unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind if 
Josh. 8:1,2. 

This time Joshua followed closelv the directions of the Lord. He 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 137 

divided his army. Part of tiie men went behind the city and hid, 
while the rest went with Joshua. 

Joshua said his part of the army would go up just as the three 
thousand had one. Then the king of Ai would think he could easily 
drive them back, as he had the other army a short time before; but 
while the king would be pursuing these, the rest of the army, who 
had been hiding, should come and take the city, for the Lord would 
deliver it into their hands. 

^'And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set 
the city on fire: according to the commandment of the Lord shall ye 
do. See, I have commanded you.'' Josh. 8:8. 

It was as Joshua said. AVhen the people of Ai saw the children 
of Israel coming again, they thought there was nothing to fear. They 
hurried out to fight against them and left their city unguarded. 

When Joshua held out his spear, the men who were hiding behind 
the city went in and set fire to it. Only the cattle and goods were 
saved, as Joshua had commanded. 

The king of Ai was hung on a tree and then thrown where the 
gate of the city had been. A great pile of stones was placed over 
him, and this heap was all that remained of Ai. It was never rebuilt. 

T\- 'A" -7t" -A* "Tv* "Jv TV" "JV- "Ji* "A* •A" "TV" "A* •«* 'ff* 

An Altar Is Built in Mount Bbal. 

BEFORE Moses died he said that when tlie children of Israel were 
safe in the land of Canaan, they should go up in Mount Ebal, and 
there they should set up large stones for an altar and cover them with 
plaster. 

Upon these stones Joshua was to write the ten commandments. 
They were to be written very plainly, so that all the people could read 
them. 

As soon as they came to Mount Ebal, Joshua did all that Moses 
had commanded. 



138 



hEAUTIFUL STORIES 



*'And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of MoseSy 
which he wrote in the presence of the cliildren of Israel. 

^'And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges^ 
stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the 




JOSHUA BUn^DS AN ALTAR IN MOUNT EBAL. 



Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the 
stranger, as he that was bom among them; half of them over against 
Mount Gerizim, and half of them over against Mount Ebal; as Moses 
the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless 
the people of Israel. 

**And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 139 

and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 

** There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which 
Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, 
and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among 
them.'' Josh. 8:32-35. 

What a solemn and grand scene this must have been! God had 
led them as he had promised, and now his holy law was written where 
all could read it. 

They were gathered in the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount 
Gerizim. From this place they could see the beautiful land, which 
was now their own. 

Abraham saw this same land. Gen. 12 : 7. God had told Abraham 
that his children some day would live there and would be many, as 
the sand of the sea. This had come to pass. The great host of Israel 
was there. 

At this place Jacob first lived after he returned from his uncle 's,^ 
in Haran. Gen. 33 : 19. Abraham and Jacob had each built an altar 
here, and now one was built by the children of Israel. Here they 
vowed that the Lord would be their God forever. 

* -y- 4t ^t ^* 4t Jt ^t ^ ^t ^ ^t ^fe ^ ^fe 
^t "W ^ W TP ^ TT TP TP TT W ^ TT ^ 

MarcHing; into Canaan. 

When God brought Israel back again, 
Away from Egypt's toil and pain, 
He gave them each a home so free 
In Canaan's land of liberty. 

How happy must have been that day 
Which they had hoped for all the way, 
To know their bondage days were o'er, 
And soon they'd be on Canaan's shore. 

Though Moses was not of the band 
To enter in this happy land, 



140 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Yet God permitted him to share 

From Nebo's heights a glimpse most fair. 

He saw the land he long had sought, 
He saw the people he had brought, 
And then he knew that he must die, 
But Moses did not question why. 

He sought tlie man with father's care 
His great commission there to bear. 
His work was done, his toiling o'er; 
Blit Israel's grief was great and sore. 

Although at times they did rebel, 
Yet Israel loved their leader AveJl ; 
But now they said they would obey, 
And Joshua leads them on their way. 

Of course, foes in the way were met, 
Their lives with hardships oft beset; 
But God Avas helping, this they knew, 
And he would guide them safely through. 

At last on Jordan's banks they stand, 
The old and young view Canaan's land; 
And then the Avaters grandly roll ; 
Dry-shod they pass, and reach the goal. 

The ' Avildemess is left behind, 
Its manna noAv no more they tind ; 
And they did not forget to thank 
The Lord upon that Jordan bank. 

An altar of tAvelve stones placed there, 
In after years told of God's care. 
Some spies sent forth to vieAv the land, 
Returning said, " 'Tis simply grand! 

"Reports." they said, "have reached them here, 
Which all their hearts have filled with fear; 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 141 

'Tis that all foes, both great and small, 
Before our host have had to fall." 

What courage did these words impart, 
Both to the brave and faint in heart! 
'Twas then God called them forth to go, 
And said he'd lead them 'gainst the foe. 

Their enemies were strong inside 
The walls, which rose up high and wide ; 
But God who led this army great 
Made Jericho soon meet its fate. 

God said to march around the wall 
For seven days, then it would fall; 
As this great host marched silently, 
The sneering foe methinks I see, 

Who view again their wall so high; 

They do not see destruction nigh. 

But Israel saw it fall at last, 

When they gave forth the trumpets' blast. 

Oh, what commotion ! what dismay ! 
Befel the city there that day. 
The hosts of Israel filled the place. 
And met their foe there face to face. 

God cursed the city and the spoil. 
And said, "Take nothing for your toil." 
But there was one Avho thought to hide 
Some articles he found inside. 

God always knows what we're about. 
And thus he pointed Achan out. 
This man knew it w^as wrong to steal, 
And that was why it made him feel 

That he must hide the things he'd taken; 
But God knew where, guilty Achan! 



142 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

God said that Achan they must burn, 
That Israel might a lesson learn. 

How sad it was that this should be 
The ending of such victory ! 
Blit God will punish in some way 
At all times those who disobey. 

Once more the great host pass along; 
Their hearts are filled with joy and song. 
The Canaanites depart in fear 
As they see Israel drawing near. 

'Tis true a few some trouble gave, 
And thought their country they would save; 
But they soon numbered with the slain, 
While Israel's host marched on again. 

At last on Ebal's heights we see 

This great host gathered quietly 

To listen to the words that fall 

From Joshua's lips for great and small. 

Their leader then with greatest care 
An altar to their God built there, 
And all this host with one accord 
Made off 'rings there unto the Lord. 

Then Moses' law most carefully 
Was written so that all might see, 
And each command and ev'ry word 
In Moses' law this people heard. 

Had Abraham beheld this sight, 

We can imagine his delight; 

Here was the seed which God had giv'n, 

They truly were as stars of heav'n. 

And now we'll leave this mighty band, 
To each receive his share of land; 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 143 

We'll praise God for his loving care 
In bringing them to Canaan fair. 

And when we find them later on, 
We hope they've kept all they have won; 
That in their hearts the God of heav'n 
Is praised by them for what he 's giv 'n. 

THe Men of Gibeon Deceive Israel. 

WHEN. all the nations in the land saw what God was doing for 
Ills people, fear fell upon them. Some were brave enough to fight, but 
only to be destroyed. 

The city of Gibeon was close by ; and when the people there heard 
what had been done to Jericho and Ai, they made a plan to deceive 
Israel. 

^'They did work wilily and went and made as if they had been 
ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, 
old, and rent, and bound up; and old shoes and clouted upon their 
feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision 
ivas dry and mouldy. 

^'And they went to Joshua unto the camp of Gilgal, and said un 
to him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: 
now therefore make ye a league with us. ' ' Josh. 9 : 4-6. 

Strange as it seems, Joshua believed what these people said and 
made a covenant of peace with them and let them live. 

He did not go to God and ask what to do at this time, as he should 
liave done. In three days he found out his mistake. 

These people were some of the inhabitants of the land, whom he 
was to destroy. But he had promised in the Lord's name to let them 
live. 

Now, to break his i)romise with them would be worse than his 
having failed to ask wisdom from God at the first. So he told them 
they must be Israel's servants. 



144 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

And Joshua said, '^ Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying. We 
are very far from you; when ye dwell among usl Now therefore 
ye are cursed and there shall none of you be freed from being bond- 
men, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my 
God.'^ 

They answered that it was because they had heard what great 
things God had done for the children of Israel. They had done this 
that they might live, and now would do anything that seemed right 
in his sight. So the lives of these men were spared, and they became 
Israel's servants. 

The wrong Joshua had done in not asking the Lord what he 
should do led him into this error. But he had promised in the Lord's 
name and to break his word would have been another evil. 

A promise in the sight of God is very binding. We should respect 
our word and keep our promises. 

Many years after, when Saul was king, he thought he would do 
something for God. So he slew some of the Gibeonites. After he 
was dead there was a famine in the land. King David asked God 
what it meant. The Lord answered, ''It is for Saul, and his bloody 
house, because he slew the Gibeonites. ' ' 2 Sam. 21 : 1. 

JosKtia Rescties Gibeon. 

GIBEON was a city much lai'ger than Ai. When the kings of the 
Amorites heard that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel, they 
decided to destroy the Gibeonites if they could. 

So five Amorite kings joined themselves together and went up to 
fight against Gibeon. 

The Gibeonites sent at once to Joshua for help. God told Joshua 
to go and to fear them not; for they were delivered into his hand, and 
none should stand before him. 

Joshua went; Gibeon was saved; and God's AYord was fulfilled. 

The Amorites had surprised the Gibeonites, but now the children. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 145 

of Israel surprised the Amorites. Many of them were slain; and as 
some ran from Israel, God cast down great hailstones from lieaven upon 
them. **They were more which died with hailstones than they whom 
the children slew with the sword.'' 

Then something happened that was never heard of before or since. 

Joshua saw that the day was going to be far too short for him. He 
must conquer these armies now. So with faith in the God who had 
rolled back the waters of the Red Sea and of the river Jordan, Joshua 
commanded the sun and the moon to stand still. 

He said, **Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon: and thou. Moon, 
in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, 
until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not 
this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst 
of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 

**And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the 
Lord barkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for 
Israel." Josh. 10; 12-14. 

The five Amorite kings hid themselves in a cave when they saw 
that the battle went against them. 

Joshua heard they were there and said, '*Roll great stones upon? 
the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them: and stay ye 
not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them;; 
suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hatb 
delivered them into your hands." Josh. 10: 18, 19. 

When the battle was over, they took the five kings out of the cave 
and hanged them on trees. But before they were hanged, Joshua told 
the captains of the men of war to put their feet upon the necks of these 
kings. Then he said, '*Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of 
good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against 
whom ye fight." 

After the kings were dead, Joshua put them in the cave again and 
placed large stones at the mouth of the cave. 

Thus tlie children of Israel continued to fight against their enemies. 
God gave them the victory until they possessed the land. 



146 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Many fierce battles had to be fought, and no city tried to make 
peace with them, except the city of Gibeon. 

**And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to 
give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 

^^And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that 
he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their 
enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their 
hand. 

^' There failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had 
spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.^' Josh. 21:43-45. 

«M. Jt. 4E. J{. M, je. 4i- ^ -it- -K- -^ ^ •)& ^ 
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Joshua's WorK. 

THE work God called Joshua to do was to finish what Moses began. 
He was to lead the people of God through the river Jordan, into the 
land they had been seeking all these years. 

Then he was to lead and direct them, and help them to drive their 
enemies out of it. These enemies were very fierce and warlike, as has 
been seen. But God put such fear in their hearts that it did not take 
long to cast them out. 

He was also to give the people the laws Moses received from God. 
These were to teach them, and tlieir children after them, what to do 
and what not to do. 

These were to them a Bible, or God^s Word. This Bible was com- 
posed of the first five books of our Bible. They are called the five 
books of Moses, or the Pentateuch. 

His last and greatest work was to divide the land by lot between 
iJie tribes of Israel. Josh. 14 : 2-5. 

In dividing the land, the tribe of Levi was not given a share with 
the other tribes ; but as Joseph 's portion was divided between his two 
sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, there were twelve tribes still. 

The Levites were given cities among the tribes to dwell in. In 
this way the Levites would be able to advise and direct Israel in spir- 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



147 



itual matters and help them remember God's goodness in the past. 
There were six cities of refuge appointed according to Moses' 
command. These were cities to wiiich any one could run who had 
through accident killed some person. There he could stay until it was 
safe to return home. Josh. 20. 




THE CITY OP REFUGE. 



When he was dividing the land, Caleb reminded him of what 
Moses had said at the time he and Joshua returned with the other spies. 
Josh. 14:6-14. 

Caleb was not one of the children of Israel by birth, but had been 
adopted among them and was what is called a proselyte. It was for 
his trueness to God and his people that he received part of their land. 



148 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

The childien of Joseph were not quite satisfied with what they 
received. It seems the Canaanites who had dwelt in their part of the 
land were a very strong people. Some giants, too, were among them, 
and they had iron chariots. 

These people dwelt in the valley and mountain, and at first the 
children of Joseph had not been strong enough to drive them out. 
Later, when able to do so, they did not. Instead they let them stay and 
pay tribute. This made their land seem too small. 

They then went to Joshua and said, ^'We are such a great people 
and the Lord has blessed us so, we must have more room." 

Joshua told them that if they must have more room they should 
drive the Canaanites out of their country. 

He used their own words against them, saying, ^^Thou art a great 
people, and hast great power : thou shalt not have one lot only : but the 
mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: 
and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the 
Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be 
strong. ' ' 

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JosHua's Work, and His DealH. 

THE great work of dividing the land of Canaan between the chil- 
dren of Israel was over at last. Nine and a half of the tribes had 
received their share west of the river Jordan; while the other two and 
a half tribes had theirs on the eastern side, where Moses had given it 
to them. And the land rested from war. 

The men who had been so faithful and had left their homes to see 
their brethren safe in their land were now called, eloshua told them 
that they had done all Moses had commanded them. Num. 32 : 20-27. 
Now they were free to go home to tlieir own inheritance on the east 
side of the river; only they must never forget God, who had done so 
much for them. After Joshua blessed them, they went away. 

Soon after they had crossed Jordan they did something that 



FROM THE GOOD OLD LOOK. 



149 



seemed very strange to the other tribes. They built a large altar. 
This made Joshua and others think they were forsaking God. 

The Lord had said to all Israel: "Whatsoever man there be of 
the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among yon, 
that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, and bringeth it not unto 
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to olfer it unto the 
Lord; even that man shall be cut off from among his people." Lev. 
17:8, 9. 

And their tabernacle was now on the west side of Jordan, so they 
sent Phinehas, a priest, to- see what this great altar meant. He took a 
prince from each of the ten tribes with him. 

When they asked why this altar had been made, they found it was 
not as they had feared. 

These men said they were afraid their children might forget what 
the Lord had done for their fathers. "This altar," they said, "is a 
witness between us and you and our children after us that we all have 
a right to worship the Lord. ' ' 

When Phinehas and the princes heard this, they were pleased. 

A short time before Joshua died, he called all the children of Israel 

and had a long talk with them. He spoke of the goodness of God and 

reminded them of the many things the Lord had done. He also spoke 

of Terah, Abraham's father, who had served other gods. 

He then told them to choose whom they would serve. And the 
people said, "The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we 

obey. ' ' 

Joshua set up a great stone under an oak-tree and said it should 

always be a sign that they had chosen to serve God. 

Then all the people went to their homes, and Joshua's work was 
ended. After these things he died and was buried. He was one hun- 
dred and ten years old when he died. 



150 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

The CKildren of Israel in Trouble. 

FOR a time after Joshua's death Israel kept their promise and 
served God; but a few of their enemies were still left in the land. 

God told them to drive these out; and as long as they tried, God 
helped in destroying them. But soon they grew tired and stopped 
fighting. 

They even made friends of these enem.ies, and did not destroy their 
idols. For this God was very angry, and said he would let them fight 
their own battles. This made them sorry, but they were not sorry 
long. 

It was only a short time till they were even worshiping the idols 
they had not destroyed. These idols were named Baal and Ashtaroth. 

Then the Lord was angry indeed. When their enemies came 
against them, he would not help them, and they were taken captive. 

\Vherever they went, and whatever they did, they found trouble. 
When they repented and asked God for help, he always sent it. But 
they would forget the Lord as soon as their trouble was ended. Then 
God would let them suffer on account of it. 

God's way of helping the children of Israel was by raising up 
judges to rule over them. These judges were not always spiritual, but 
God used them in helping his people out of their trouble— that is, when 
the people were sorry and asked for help. 

Each one can not be mentioned, but we will tell of a few things 
some of them did. 

About twenty years after the death of Joshua many of the children 
of Israel were taken captive by the king of Mesopotamia. God per- 
mitted them to stay there for eight years, because they had forgot- 
ten him. 

The idols they had not destroyed had become a snare to them. 

Now that trouble had come upon them, they remembered that God 
had been their help. 

Then they cried unto the Lord. He heard and sent a deliverer, 
even Othniel, Caleb's nephew. Through this man's work God deliv- 
ered Israel, and for forty years they had rest from war. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



151 



£Ktid and Shaing;ar. 



AFTER Othniel died, the people again disobeyed God, and were 
taken captive by the king of Moab. They were his servants for 
eighteen years. 

When all went well with them, they forgot God. Trouble seemed 
the only thing that would then cause them to turn to the Lord. 

They had become so mixed up with the nations around them that 
they hardly knew right from wrong. 

But now they were in such trouble that they cried to God for help;^ 
He heard their cry and sent them another judge, whose name was Ehud. 
He was left-handed and of the tribe of Benjamin. By him the chil- 
dren of Israel sent a present to Eglon, the king of Moab. But Ehud 
made a dagger and hid it under his clothing. 

After he had delivered the present to the king, he said, **I have 
a secret errand unto thee, king.'' The servants then passed out and 
they two were left alone. 

When Eglon arose out of his seat to hear the message, Ehud drew 
out the dagger with his left hand and thrust it through the king's body. 
He then locked the door and hurried away. 

When the servants tried to get in, they found the door locked. 
They supposed the king wanted to be alone and so did not enter. But 
after waiting a long time tliey unlocked the door and went in. 

What a sight met their eyes! Their king was lying dead before 
them. And Ehud had escaped while they tarried. 

Ehud had returned to the children of Israel and told them that 
God had given them the victory over the Moabites. 

He then led them to war, and that day about ten thousand men 
of the Moabites were slain. 

Thus God delivered his people once more, and they had rest 
from war about eighty years. 

Shamgar was the next judge over Israel. This time their enemies 
were the Philistines. He *^slew of the Philistines six hundred men 
with an ox-goad: and he also delivered Israel." Judges 3: 31. 



152 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Deborah and Barak. 

ISRAEL'S fourth judge was a woman of the name of Deborah, 
and she was a prophetess. Her tent was under a pahn-tree, and here 
was where the children of Israel came to be judged. 

They had been wicked again, and God had let a king of Canaan 
make slaves of them. They had served for twenty years and now 
were sorry they had done wrong. They cried unto the Lord, and he 
heard, and answered by sending a deliverer, whose name was Barak. 

One day Deborah sent for Barak and told him he must go and 
fight against the Canaanites. This meant a great deal, for Sisera, the 
captain of the Canaanites, was a brave and strong man, and he had 
nine hundred iron chariots. 

Deborah told Barak that God would deliver Sisera and his army 
into his hand, but that he would not have the praise of Sisera 's death. 
Sisera would be killed by a woman, Deborah said; and it was so. 

Barak was afraid to go and said he would not unless Deborah 
would go with him. So Deborah went. And they had an army of 
ten thousand men. 

God gave them the victory, and all of Sisera 's army were slain, 
except Sisera. He left his chariot and ran to the tent of a Kenite 
woman of the name of Jael. 

Sisera supposed this woman was his friend, but she was not, 
although she pretended to be. 

He was so tired that he lay down and went to sleep. While he 
was asleep, elael went to him and drove a great nail into his head, and 
he died. 

When Barak passed by, Jael told him to come in and she would 
show him the man he was seeking. And when he came into her tent, 
behold Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temple. 

So the children of Israel were set free from the king of Canaan. 

Then Deborah and Barak sang a song of praise to God for deliver- 
ing them. 

It was forty years before they had war again. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 153 

How much better it would have been, had they driven all of their 
enemies out when God first commanded them to. 

Idol-worship was what caused God to send such dreadful punish- 
ments upon them. His help was ever ready when they asked him for 
it and turned away from idols ; but as soon as they forgot the Lord, 
he sent trouble to them. 

Idols are something the Christian can not have. They do not need 
to be made of wood and stone to be idols. Anything the Christian is 
not willing to give up to the Lord becomes an idol. And the Bible 
says, ^'Little children, keep yourselves from idols." 1 John 5:21. 

*>V> "V* •V^ .&£. M. ^ ^ ^ M^ M^ ^ M, ^ ^ 
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Gideon Destroys Baal. 

AGAIN the children of Israel did evil in God's sight, and they 
were taken captive by the Midianites. These people were very cruel 
and drove them from their homes and cities. Everything planted was 
destroyed, and God's people had to seek homes in dens and caves in 
the mountains. 

Again they cried to the Lord, because they were in trouble. 

God sent a prophet who told them of God's mercies in the past 
and how they had disobeyed. 

Then an angel came and sat under an oak-tree near where a man 
of the name of Gideon was. Gideon had a little wheat, which he was 
trying to thresh and hide from the Midianites. And the angel said 
unto him, ''The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. 

''And Gideon said unto him. Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, 
why then is all this befallen usi and where be' all his miracles which 
our fathers told us of, saying. Did not the Lord bring us up from 
Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the 
hands of the Midianites. 

"And the Lord looked upon him, and said. Go in this thy might, 
and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not 
I sent thee I 



154 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

^^And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save 
Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least 
in my father's house. 

**And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thoa 
shalt smite the Midianites as one man." Judges 6:13-16. 

Gideon begged the angel to wait until he could go and prepare a 
present for him. This was some bread, meat, and broth. 

When he returned with the present, the angel said to lay it upon 
a rock and pour the broth over it. When this was done, **the angel 
of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and 
touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out 
of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then 
the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight." Judges 6:21. 

Gideon now knew he had been talking with an angel and felt that 
he was going to die. But God said, ' ^ Fear not : thou shalt not die. ' ' 
Then Gideon built an altar in that place. 

God told him to go and destroy the altar of Baal, which was in 
his father's yard, and to cut down the grove that was around it. He 
was then to build an altar unto the Lord and offer a burnt-sacrifice^ 
using wood from the grove which he had cut down. Gideon took ten 
men with him, and all this was done. 

In the morning when the men of the city saw their idol and grove 
destroyed, they were very angry. Joash, Gideon's father, was told to 
bring his son out that they might put him to death. But Joash said^ 
**If Baal is a god, he can plead for himself. If any one will plead for 
him, he shall be put to death." 

Joash then changed Gideon's name to Jerrubbaal, saying, *^Let 
Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar." 



*************** 



THe Army of Gideon. 

GIDEON wanted to be sure that God meant to use him in deliver- 
ing Israel. So he asked the Lord to do a miracle for him as a sign. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 155 

He said he would place a fleece of wool out on the ground. In 
the morning if this wool was wet with dew and the ground dry he 




GIDEON AND THE FLEECE OP WOOL. 



would know God would save Israel by him. *^And it was so: for he 
rose up early on the morrow, and thrust tlie fleece together and 
wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 



156 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

*^Aiid Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against 
me, and I will speak but this once : let me prove, I pray thee, but this 
once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon 
all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was 
dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.-' 
Judges 6:38-40. 

This was enough, and Gideon was satisfied. He blew a trumpet, 
which gathered the people together, and they prepared for battle. 

Then *^the Lord said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee 
are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest 
Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved 
me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying. 
Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from 
Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two 
thousand ; and there remained ten thousand. 

"And the Lord said unto Gideon, Tiie })eople are yet too many; 
bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: 
and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee. This shall go with thee, 
the same shall go wdtli thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This 
shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 

"So he brought down the people unto the waters: and the Lord 
said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, 
as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one 
that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 

"And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their 
mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed 
down upon their knees to drink water. 

"And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that 
lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: 
and let all the otlier people go every man unto his place." Judges 7: 2-7. 

That night God told Gideon to take his servant and go down among 
the army of the Midianites, which were without number, and there he 
would hear something that would encourage him. 

That night he went and overheard a man say, ' ' Behold, I dreamed 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 157 

a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of 
Midian, and came into a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned 
it, that the tent lay along. 

^*And his fellow answered and said. This is nothing else save the 




GIDEON AND HIS ARMY. 

sword of Gideon the son of Joasli, a man of Israel: for into his hand 
hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. 

**And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and 
the interpretation thereof, that he worshiped, and returned into the 
host of Israel, and said, Arise ; for the Lord hath delivered into your 
hand the host of Midian. 

^*And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, 



158 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

and put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps 
within the pitchers. 

**And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, 
when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so 
shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, and all that are with me, 
then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say. 
The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.'' Judges 7: 13-18. 

The three companies of men did just as Gideon told them, and fear 
fell upon the Midianites. They thought a great army was upon them 
and they fled. Thousands of them were slain, and Israel was made 
free. 

When the battle was over, the people wanted Gideon to be their 
king. But he said, ^^I will not rule over you, neither shall my son 
rule over you : the Lord shall rule over you. ' ' 

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Je jl\':Kal:\'s R.aiK Vow. 

MANY years after the death of Gideon there was a very brave 
man of the name of Jephthah. He had left his home on the east side 
of Jordan in Gilead because his brethren did not like him. 

His brethren were glad to see him go, but now they were in trouble 
and needed help. The Ammonites, who were descendants of Lot, had 
come upon them, and said that the land east of the Jordan where the 
two and a half tribes were living belonged to them, and that they 
wanted it. 

Jephthah said to his brethren w^ho sent for him, '*Did not ye hate 
me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto 
me now when ye are in distress ? " 

His brethren said they saw their wrong, and if he would be their 
captain and they should have victory in battle, he should be their ruler 
when they returned. So Jephthah went with them. 

Before going to war he sent messengers to the king of Ammon, 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 159 

saying, ^^AVbat linsl tbou to do with nie, that thou art come against me 
to fight in my hind? 

'*And the king of the children of Amnion answered unto the mes- 
sengers of Jephthnh, Because Israel took away my land, when they 
came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jor- 
dan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably." Judges 
11:12,13. 

Jephthab sent word that the land Moses had taken east of the 
Jordan did not belong to the Ammonites at that time, and said, *^I 
have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against 
me: the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel 
and the children of Ammon." 

The king of Ammon would not listen, nor make peace; so the 
children of Israel went to war. 

As Jephthah was leaving home, he made a vow to God that if 
he was victorious he would give as a sacrifice to God whatever should 
meet him first upon his return home. It was very unwise for him 
to make such a vow. He did not know who or what might come 
to meet him. 

When the battle was over and Jephthah returned home, the first 
to meet him was his own daughter. She was his only child; and when 
he saw her and remembered his vow, he rent his clothes. He told her 
the cause of his grief; but she said to do as he had promised, only 
to let her have two months to weep and pray. 

.Jephthah was very sorry of the rash vow he had made; but the 
Bible says he did as he had promised. 

All the young women of Israel mourned for her four days out of 
each year. There is no place in the Bible where it is even hinted 
that God approved of Jephthah 's vow. 



160 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Samson and His Riddle. 

THE children of Israel had again forsaken God and were serving 
idols. And now they were in bondage to the Philistines. 

An angel one day came to a man of the name of Manoah and told 
him that he and his wife were going to have a son. 

The angel said the child must be brought up for the Lord, and 
that they must never cut his hair, for he was to be a Nazarite to God. 
There was a special law given to the Nazarite. It is found in the 
sixth chapter of Numbers. 

When this child was born, God blessed him, and he grew to be 
very strong. 

When he became a man, he saw among the Philistines a woman 
whom he loved very much. His parents tried to have him marry one 
of his own people, but they did not know that God was going to use 
this very thing to help in their deliverance. 

Samson went with his father and mother to see this woman, and 
just before he reached her home, a lion rushed out and roared at 
Samson. He had no sword, but God gave him strength, and with his 
hands he killed it as easily as though it had been a young goat. 

His father and mother did not know about the lion, and he kept 
it a secret. 

He did not marry the woman at this time, but returned home again. 

Later he went to be married, and on his way ^*he turned aside to 
see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees 
and honey in the carcase of the lion. And he took thereof in his hands, 
and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave 
them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the 
honey out of the carcase of the lion. 

**So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made 
there a feast ; for so used the young men to do. 

*^And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty 
companions to be with him. 

^^And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



161 



you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the 
feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty 
change of garments: but if ye can not declare it me, then shall ye 
give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said 
unto him, Put forth the riddle, that we may hear it. 

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SLAYING THE LION. 



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^^And he said unto them, Out of the eater cometh forth meat, and 
out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three 
days expound the riddle. 

*^And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto 

Samson's wife, Entice thy hushand that he may declare unto us the 

riddle, lest we hum thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye 

called us to take that we have! is it not so? 
11 



162 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

'^And Samson's wife wept before him and said, Thou dost but 
hate me, and lovest rae not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the 
children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, 
Behold, I have not told it my father nor ray mother, and shall I tell 
it thee? 

'*And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: 
and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she 
lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her 
people. 

* ' And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before 
the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger 
than a lion? And he said unto them. If ye had not plowed with my 
heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. 

*'And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to 
Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave 
change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his 
anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. 

'^But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had 
used as his friend." Judges 14:8-20. 

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Samson's Streng^tK. 

IT was some time before Samson returned to his wife. When he 
did, he found her married to another man. This made him very angry, 
and he ^^went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, 
and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two 
tails. 

''And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the 
standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and 
also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. 

''Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they 
answered, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken 
his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came 
up, and burnt her and her father with fire. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 



163 



''And Samson said unto them, Thougli ye have done this, yet will 
I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. And he smote them 
hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in 
the top of the rock Etam/' Judges 15:4-8. 

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I ' SAMSON SLAYS TUE PHILISTINES. | 

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While Samson was on tliis rock, the tribe of Judah came to him 
and asked, "Why hast thou bronglit all this trouble upon us?" for the 
Philistines, who were their rulers had come up against them. Samson 
said, "As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.'* 

"And they said unto him. We are come down to bind thee, that 
we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said 



164 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

unto tliein, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. 

"And they spake unto him, saying. No; but we will bind thee fast, 
and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And 
they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the 
rock. 

"And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against 
him : and tlie Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords 
that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and 
his bands loosed from off his hands. 

"And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, 
and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. 

"And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, 
with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men. 

"And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that 
he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place 
Ramathlehi." Judges 15:12-17. 

When Samson had finished slaying the Philistines, he became very 
thirsty and would have died for want of water; but God in answer to 
his prayer made a place from which water came out. After drinking 
of it Samson felt refreshed. 

He called the spot Enhakkore, which means "the well of I'lim that 
called, or cried. '^ 

And he judged Israel twenty years. 

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DelilaK's Deceit. 

THE Philistines tried every way to catch and bind Samson, but 
his strength was so great they could not. 

One time when they knew he was in a certain city, they shut the 
gates and thought he could not get out. But he took the gates of the 
city upon his shoulder and went away with them. 

At la«t they went to a woman whom he loved and said, "Entice 
him, nrid see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we 




DELILAH DISCOVERS THE SOURCE OP SAMSON 's STRENGTH. 



166 BEAUTIFUL ST OB I L S 

may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we 
will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. 

**And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy 
great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict 
thee. 

**And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green 
withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another 
man. 

*^Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green 
withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 

**Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the 
chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, 
Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when 
it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known. 

**And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and 
told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be 
bound. 

**And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that 
never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. 

** Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and 
said unto him. The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were 
liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off 
his arms like a thread. 

*^And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, 
and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he 
said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. 

**And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philis- 
tines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and 
went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. 

**And she said unto him. How canst thou say, I love thee, when 
thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and 
hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.'' Judges 16:5-15. 

She pressed him daily with her words and urged him, so that at 
last he told her he had always been a Nazarite and his hair had never 




g 






1C8 bEAUTIFUL STOJUES^^ 

been cut. He said, "If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, 
and I shall become weak, and be like any other man." 

: It was wrong for Samson to tell this, for the woman was not his 
friend. 

J *'One day while he slept, she had his hair cut; and she called to 
Mm, saying, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke 
i>ui of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other tmies before, and 
5hake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. 
\ "But the Philistines took him, and put out liis eyes, and brought 

; him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did 
grind in the prison house." Judges 16: 20, 21. 

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Blind Samson* 

POOR Samson ! This was a sad thing to come upon him ; but, of 
course, the Philistines would show him no mercy now. 

They praised Dagon, their god, for delivering Samson into their 
hands; and whenever they saw Samson, they were happy. 

Samson had grieved the Lord by telling Delilah that his strength 
was in his hair. He, became very sorry and prayed to God, whom he 
had disobeyed, and from whom his strength really came. 

After a while his hair grew long again, and the Lord gave his 
strength back to him. 

One day as they were offering sacrifice to Dagon, they sent for 
Samson, that he might make sport for them. 

They set him between two great pillars that held up the building. 
'*And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand. Suffer me 
that I may feel the pillars w^hereupon the house standeth, that I may 
lean upon them. 

"Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords 
of the Philistines were there ; and there were upon the roof about three 
thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. 

**And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remem- 




o 
m 

m 



170 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

ber me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once,. 
God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my 
two eyes. 

**And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the 
house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right 
hand, and of the other with his left. 

*'And Samson said. Let me die with the Philistines. And he 
bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, 
and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew 
at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. 

^^Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and 
took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and 
Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father.*' Judges 16:26-31. 

In Samson, Israel could have read their history if they had tried. 
Samson's strength lay in his being a Nazarite, or consecrated to God. 
His weakness came through not remaining true to his calling. Israel's 
strength was in their being the chosen people of God. They became 
weak when they turned from the Lord and worshiped idols. 

His blindness was like the spiritual blindness of Israel. 

And as they delivered Samson, their friend, into the hands of the 
Philistines, just so the Jews delivered Jesus, their Savior, into the 
hands of the Gentiles. But Samson in his death destroyed more of 
their enemies than he did in his life. Even so Jesus by his death 
and resurrection fully broke for us the power of Satan. 

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Rtith. 

DURING the time that Israel was ruled by judges, there was a 
man of the name of Elimelech. His home was in Bethlehem, but on 
account of a famine he moved with his family into the land of Moab. 

While there Elimelech was taken sick and died. After his death 
his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, were married to two Moabite women 
named Orpah and Ruth. In about ten years the sons also died. This 




SAMSON MAKING SPORT FOR THE Pim.TSTINES. 



172 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

left Elimelecli's wife, Naomi, with no one except her two dniigliters- 
in-]aw. 

When Naomi heard that the famine was ended at her old home, she 
decided to return. Orpah and Ruth started with her on her way, and 
they were sad and wept when she thought it best for them to return to 
their own country. They had learned to love Naomi. Both were 
willing to go with her, but she urged them to remain with their people 
and gods. 

So Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and went back; but Ruth said, 
^'Entreat me not to leave thee, . . . for whither thou goest, I will go. 
Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou 
diest I will die and there will be buried. And she asked the Lord to 
punish her if anything should ever cause her to leave Naomi. 

When Naomi saw how much Euth loved her, she did not say any 
more. So they two went on their journey. 

On reaching Bethlehem, Naomi's old friends met bier and were 
surprised to see how changed she was. They said, ^^Is this Naomi f 
She said, "Call me not Naomi, but Mara; for my life is bitter now,'^ 
meaning her loved ones were dead. 

It was the time of year when the grain was ready to be harvested. 
The custom then was to leave some of the grain for the poor people to 
gather. And Ruth and Naomi were very poor. 

One day Ruth asked if she might go and gather some of this 
grain. Naomi said, "Go, my daughter.'' And as it happened, she 
gleaned that day in the field of a man whose name was Boaz. Now, 
Boaz w^as a kinsman of Naomi, and very rich. 

When Naomi heard that Ruth had gleaned in his field, she was 
glad and felt that God was directing them. 

Boaz saw the young woman in his field and asked who she was. 
When he heard that she had left her old home where they worshiped 
idols, that she might serve the God of Israel, he admired her. 

He had his servants drop some grain purposely for her, and at 
meal-time she was invited to eat. So Ruth gleaned in the field every 
day while the harvest lasted. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



173 



Before the end of the harvest she had proved to all her sweet 
virtuous life. Boaz had found that he loved her, but one thing stood 
in the way of their marriage. This was some law concerning Naomi's 




4'^^^g^ 



^^"^-^ 



NAOMI LEAVING THE LAND OP MOAB. 



property or land; but all was soon arranged. They were married, and 
the people prayed the Lord to bless Ruth. 

After a while God gave them a little son, and they named him 
Obed. Naomi took care of it, and was its nurse. 

Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse, the father of King David, 
from whom Jesus our Savior descended. 



174 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



RtitH's Mission. 

I have often read the Bible, Ruth became the wife of Boaz, 

Read it through in search of truth ; And her home was blessed indeed , 

And my eyes have often rested For a line of kings descended — 

On the book which we call Ruth. David and his sons, we read. 




e 

( 

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e 

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THE GLEANING IN THE FIELD. f 

e 

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There I saw a gentle maiden, 

Who had left her friends behind; 

And with heart so full of duty, 
To earth's pleasures she was blind. 



And when many years were ended, 
Once again we read of One, 

Born within a humble manger, 
Bearing record as her son. 



But I did not see the beauty, But the thought that made me love her, 

Or her mission here below, Was so simple, yet so true; 

^Till one day the dear Lord showed me, 'Twas the faith that made her follow 
And since then I've loved her so. In a path so strangely new. 




3TAXXA1I PKAVIVn P-EFOK!': TMK I .OKMX 



176 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Ruth lived where they worshiped idols— It was not for years she labored, 
Never knew the God above; ller reward was soon to come; 

But she heard of his great mercy, (jfod gave blessings, and this maiden 

That he was a God of love. Soon had wealth and peace and home. 

Forth she went and nothing doubted, Now in future as I'm searching 
Trusting God for food to eat; God's dear Word to find the truth, 

And he blessed her humble efforts T shall try and e'er remember, 

As she gleaned among the wheat. How God blessed the maiden Ruth. 

^U ^t ^t: ^t ^ ■^ ^ ^ ^ ^t ^t 4t 4t 4t ^t» 
TV* TT t5* W •tS' "JV* •Tl* •P •7s* TT Tf TT TP TP ^p 

Hannah's Prayer. 



MANY years after the death of Kutli there was a woman named 
Hannah. Every year this woman went with her husband to worship 
the Lord at Shi] oh, where the tabernacle was. 

Hannah had no children, and this made her sad. Year after year 
she had prayed for a child, but her prayer liad not been answeied. At 
last she promised God that if he would give her a child, she would lend 
him to the Lord all the days of his life. 

This time as she prayed, great tears filled her eyes. Eli the high 
priest saw how troubled she was. When he knew the cause of her 
grief, he spoke kindly to her and said, ''Go in peace; and the God of 
Israel grant thee thy petition." 

Then Hannah felt that God had heard her prayer. The next day 
she returned home with her husband. 

After a while God gave her a little son. She called him Samuel, 
which means ''asked of God," because she had asked God to give her 
a son. 

The next time her husband went to worship the Lord, Hannah did 
not go. She said, "I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then 
I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide 
forever." Her husband was willing, so she remained at home. 

When Samuel was quite young, his mother took him to Shiloh. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



Ill 



She told Eli that she was the woman who had prayed so earnestly to 
the Lord. For that child she had prayed, and now that God had heard 
and answered, she was going to lend him to the Lord as long as he 
lived. 




HANNAH BRINGS SAMUEL TO THE LORD^S HOUSE. 



Hannah was very happy, and rejoiced greatly in the Lord. She 
sang a song of praise. Then she returned home with her husband. 

Every year she made a little coat for Samuel and brought it to 
him. God gave Hannah other sons and daughters; but Samuel 
remained at Shiloh in the Lord's house. 

12 



178 BEAUTIFUL STOMES. 



VI 



Vv. 



Cli and His Soms< 



' , WE have just had a beautiful picture of faith and trust; but now 
a new scene comes before us tliat is sad indeed. ( . n 

Eli the high priest was a Levite, and was descended from Aaron. 
Israel, bad gone deeplj^ into sin. Though they remembered that the 
priesthood descended from Aaron, yet they forgot that this office was 
held only by being true to God. 

Now, Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were very 
wicked. The Bible says they were ^^sons of Belial, '' that is, they were 
worthless, lawless fellows. 

God was angry with Eli because he did not punish his sons for 
doing wrong. He had even allowed them to become priests in the 
Lord's house. 

Here in Eli's care Samuel was placed. How easy it would have 
been for him to follow in the footsteps of Hophni and Phinehas. But 
he did not. 

God chose Samuel, not only to be a prophet in Israel, but also to 
show Eli the error he was in. 

It was Samuel who heard God's voice calling him in the night. 
God had to call three times before Eli and Samuel understood that it 
was the Lord. Then Samuel listened; and when God called him the 
fourth time, he answered, ^^ Speak; for thy servant heareth." 

God spoke words that were terrible to hear. He said to Samuel: 
'* Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every 
one that heareth it shall tingle. 

'Mn that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have 
spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 
For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity 
which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he 
restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of 
Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice 
nor offering forever. ' ' 1 Sam. 3 : 11-14. 

Samuel arose early the next morning and began the work that he 

l.i 




SAMUEL HEABS THE VOICE OP GOD. 



180 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



had to do. But he was afraid to go and tell Eli what God had said to 
him. When Eli saw this, he called Samuel and encouraged him to tell 




SAMUEL TELLS ELI GOD'S MESSAGE. 



him all God had said. So Samuel told him eveiything; and Eli said, 
'*Tt is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.*' 

**And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none 
of his words fall to the ground. '* And all Israel knew that Samuel 
was a prophet of the Lord. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 
DeatH of £11 and His Sons. 



181 



NOW we come to the saddest part of our picture. The children 
of Israel went out to fight against the Philistines. In the very beginning 
of the battle, Israel was driven back, and about four thousand were 
slain. 




DEATH OP ELI. 



Then the people said, ** Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day 
before the Philistines f Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the 
Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save 
us out of the hand of our enemies.'' 



182 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

God had departed from Eli and his sons. Yet they even dared go 
so far as to remove the sacred ark. 

God had said to Samnel, '^ When I begin, I will also make an end/' 
and now the end was near. * * When the ark of the covenant came' into 
the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth 
rang again." 

When the Philistines heard the cause of the shout, they were fright- 
ened and said : ^ * God is come into the camp. Woe unto us ! who shall 
deliver us out of the hand of this mighty God that smote the Egyptians 
with all the plagues in the wilderness? Be strong. ye Philistines, 
that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: 
quit yourselves like men, and fight. 

'*And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled 
every man into his tent. There fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 
And the ark was taken ; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, 
were slain." 

A man who escaped from the aimy ran back to Shiloh. When the 
people heard the news, all the city cried out. 

Eli was so anxious to hear the news that he was sitting at the gate 
of the city. His heart trembled for the ark of the Lord. 

He heard the sad news of IsraePs defeat and that his sons were 
dead; but when he heard that the ark of God was taken, it was more 
than he could bear. **He fell from off the seat backward by the side 
of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died : for he was an old man, and 
heavy. " 

The Ark of God in Philistia. 

GREAT was the rejoicing of the Philistines over the capture of 
what seemed to them IsraePs strength. But God did not intend their 
joy to last long. 

: They had also rejoiced when Samson was shorn, and had sup- 
posed that his strength was gone. It is true that IsraePs strength 
had gone. But their strength had really come from God. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 1183 

Hophni and Phinehas Jiad been allowed to use the vessels of God's 
honse in a very light manner, and this had displeased the Lord. 

They supposed their strength must be contained in the ark of his 
covenant. Now that it was gone, they seemed to have nothing to look 
to. But as Samson's hair grew, and his strength returned for a short 
time; so the ark of God returned, but not to be used as in days gone 
by. Israel was no longer what it had been. 

But let us follow the ark and see what became of it. 

The ark of God was taken to Ashdod and placed in the house of 
the Philistines' god. This god, or idol, was called Dagon. It had 
head and hands like a man, but its body w^s like a fish. 

Early the next morning the Philistines went to the house of their 
god. There a sight met their eyes that they could not understand. 
Their idol, Dagon, lay upon its face before the ark of God. They 
thought, perhaps, this was an accident. So they took Dagon and set 
him in his place again. 

'*When they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon was 
fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord ; and 
the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon 
the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left." 

From that time every one was careful not to step upon th« 
threshold when they entered Dagon 's house. 

The Lord sent sickness among them, and so many mice that their 
crops were destroyed. 

When the people living in Ashdod saw what trouble they were 
having, they sent the ark to Gath. There the people were destroyed 
in the same way. 

Next the ark was sent to Ekron. When the Ekronites saw the 
ark of God, they cried out, saying, '*They have brought about the ark 
of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people." 

The Philistines then decided to send the ark back— but howt 



184 BE A UTIFUL STORIES 

The ArK of God Returns. 



THE ark of the Lord was in Philistia about seven months. It 
had lirought trouble and death everywhere it went. So the priests 
and wise men were called to decide how they could return it to the 
children of Israel. 

They said, ^*If ye send away the ark of God, send it not empty, 
but return a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed.'* Then said 
the Philistines, ^'What shall be the trespass offering which we shall 
return?" They answered, ^^Five golden emerods, and five golden 
mice.'* 

These priests told them not to harden their hearts as the Egyp- 
tians did, but to make a new cart and tie two cows to it. Both of 
these cows were to have young calves. After the calves had been 
shut up and the ark placed upon the cart, they were to let the cows 
go. They were to follow and see where the cows went. If they went 
straight to Beth-shemesh in the land of Canaan, they would believe 
their troubles had been sent from God. 

These people must have Imown all about the way God dealt with 
the Egyptians. Perhaps tJiey thought some of the plagues brought 
upon Pharaoh would have happened anyway; so now they meant to 
prove whether the trouble that had befallen them was by chance or not. 

They did just as the priests said; and they watched to see what 
would happen. 

The cows took the straight road and did not turn to the right or; 
the left. Soon they crossed the line where the children of Israel were 
working in the wheat-field. 

Beth-shemesh was one of the cities set apart for the Levites. 
Here upon a great stone the Levites offered up as a sacrifice the two. 
cows that had brought the ark home, using the cart as wood. 

The ark was shortly afterward taken up to Kirjath-jearim, and 
was there in the house of Abinadab, a Levite, for twenty years. 



186 . BEAUTIFUL STORIES , v '. 

Samtiely tKe Man of Go<}. , 

^ IN Samuel we find a man who was a Levite, a Nazarite, a prbphet, 
atnd a judge. Just the one Israel was needing so much. From a child 
he had ministered to the Ijord before Eli. 

Now that Israel was left without a judge, who was more able 
than Samuel to speak of God to the people? 

Twenty years had passed since the return of the ark. The Bible 
s^ys the time seemed long, for God was not with them as he had been. 

At last the people became sad and remembered the blessings they 
had enjoyed in the past. Then it was Samuel's work to direct them 
to a happy change. 

His message to Israel was, ^ ' If ye do return unto the Lord with 
all your hearts, then put away the strange gods from among you, and 
prepare your hearts to serve the Lord only. He will then deliver you 
out of the hand of the Philistines." Then they did put away Baalim 
and Ashtaroth, which were idols, and served tlie Lord only. 

Samuel's next step was to call the people together at Mizpeh to 
a general confession of sin. This was something Israel had not himi- 
bled themselves to do since the time of Moses. 

Here they called upon God to forgive them, and to deliver them 
out of the hand of the Philistines. Samuel took a lamb and offered it 
for a burnt offering to the Lord and cried unto him for Israel, and the 
Lord heard him. 

How sweetly this lamb that was offered pointed to the Lamb of 
God, Jesus, who was offered many years after, as a sacrifice for the 
sins of the people. 

Now Israel was in the right w:ay. They were seeking help from 
the only true source, and it came. 

The Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered 
together, and with one accord they went up against them. 

At the sight of their enemies, the people of God were very much 
frightened. They did not want to fight now, but how could th0y 
help itt 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 187 

\y, Then God once more proved to them that he was ready to help 
them when in trouble. This time it was by sending a terrible thunder- 
storm. The Philistines were filled with such fear that they ran in 
every direction and Israel was delivered once more. 

Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, or **the stone of 
help." It was a monument in memory of their deliverance by God. 

TKe Story of Samuel. 

SAMUEL judged Israel all his life. His home was in Ramah; 
but he went from year to year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh, to judge 
the people. 

They loved him and had all confidence in his words. When he 
came to the different towns, the people were anxious to know what 
he had to say to them. 

But Samuel was growing old, and the work was too hard for 
him. So he made his two sons, Joel and Abiah, judges in Beer-sheba. 
Sad to say, they were not like their father. 

They were not guilty of the wicked deeds of Eli's sons, but they 
were tempted to take bribes or presents from the people. This hin- 
dered them from giving fair judgment, and therefore the people 
complained. 

The people had long wanted a king that they might be like other 
nations; so this gave them an excuse to go to Samuel and ask for 
one. They told him that he was old, and that his sons were not like 
him. So they wanted him to appoint them a king before he died. 

Samuel was very sad over this matter, because he felt that the 
thing was displeasing to God. He asked God what he should do and 
the Lord said, ^'Hearken unto . . . the people in all that they say 
unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected 
me,'' He was to choose them a king, but to tell them plainly what 
kind of man the king would be. 1 Sam. 8 : 11-18. 



188 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Samuel told the people all the Lord had said, but they answered. 
'*Give us a king." And God gave them the desire of their heart. 

Satil. 

ISRAEL'S desire for a king now put an end to the judges. When 
Ood said they had rejected him, he meant that an earthly king had 
been chosen instead of himself. 

Until this time their help had come from Heaven; now they were 
to have an earthly king, and would look to him rather than to God. 

God gave them their desire, but did it in anger. Hos. 13 ; 11. 
Still, he said he would care for them if they would fear him. **But 
if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the com- 
mandment, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was 
against your fathers: if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be con- 
sumed, both ye and your king." 

Now, the one God chose to be their ruler was a tall, handsome 
young man of the name of Saul. 

One day God told Samuel that he was going to send Israel 's future 
"king to him. This came to pass in a very strange way. 

Saul and his servant had been out hunting for some animals 
belonging to Saul's father. For three days they had searched, but 
could not find them, and they were about ready to return home. 

Then the servant spoke of Samuel, and said perhaps he could 
tell them what they wished to know. At first Saul did not want to go, 
but at last decided he would go. 

Samuel told that the animals had been found, but that they should 
remain over night with him, as he had something to say to Saul. 

When Samuel was told that he was to see the future king, he laid 
away a choice part of the dinner for him. This was now brought 
forth and set before Saul. The next morning Samuel told him that 

he was to be Israel's king. 

Saul could not believe it at first, but let Samuel anoint him. 
Before Saul left, Samuel told him he would meet some men at a cer- 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



189- 



tain place on his return home. They would give him two loaves of 
bread and he would also be told that the animals were found, but that 




SAUT. ANOINTED BY SAMUEL. 



his father feared he was dead. Saul and his servant would also 
meet a company of prophets, and as they would prophesy the Spirit 



190 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

of the Lord would come upon Saul and he would also prophesy. 
Everything came to pass just as Samuel had said, and Saul couM 
not help believing that he was to be king over Israel. 

tF •R' * TT lP * TP 'f? T? tP tF TP tF V 'ff 

Satil is Made King. 

WHEN Saul reached home, his uncle asked where he had been. 
Saul told him he could not find the animals for which he was looking, 
so he had gone to see if Samuel could tell him where to go. He said 
Samuel told him they were found; but Saul did not tell of anything 
else that had happened. 

Not long after this Samuel called the people together again. This 
time it was to decide who should be their king. He knew whom God 
had chosen, but he wanted the people to know and choose for them- 
selves. 

Saul knew what was about to happen, and he hid himself. When 
he could not be found, God made it known just where he was hidden. 

When Saul came forward and the people saw what a tall, noble- 
looking man he was, most of them wanted him for their king; how- 
ever, he was not made king then. 

A short time after this the Ammonites came to fight against the men 
of Jabesh-gilead. This was one of the cities east of Jordan belonging 
to the half tribe of Manasseh. 

The inhabitants did not want to fight. They offered to be ser- 
vants to the Ammonites if they would make a covenant with them. This 
the Ammonites would not do, unless they could first put out the right 
eye of each one. In order to fully understand what that meant, we 
■must remember that a soldier held his shield with his left hand, thus 
hiding his left eye, and looked at his enemy with his right eye; so he 
that would put out that eye would make men useless in war. 

The men of Jabesh-gilead asked for seven days time to decide 
what they would do. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, Wl 

- Whm^ the insult the Ammonites had offered to his 

people, ;he: .was vely angry. He sent messengers at ahce to every 
part of Canaan and told them they must coine and help deliver their 
brethren from the Ammonites. 

About three hundred and thirty thousand men came to join in 
the battle, and they drove their enemies until there were not two of 
them left together. Then the people praised Saul and made him their 
king. 

It displeased the Lord to have his people so anxious for a king. 
B'or God had been their king, and now they were taking Saul instead 
of God. Samuel talked very plainly to them and said, ^^Now behold 
the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired. If ye will 
fear God and obey his voice, then shall both ye and your king be 
blessed; but if not, the hand of the Lord shall be against you." 

Tjt- -v- -V- -y- -y- -V- M. M. j£, ^^ ^^ ^^ M, M^ j^ 

ft 

tSaul and His iSoxi JonatKan. 

SAUL was just what Israel could wish for in a king. He was 
brave, strong, and handsome, and God was with him. But there came 
a time when Saul was not humble, and God^s Spirit left him. 

When Saul had been king about two years, he called all the people 
out to battle against the Philistines. 

The people did not have many weapons to fight with. In those 
days they used the bow and arrow instead of guns. Their swords 
and spears had all been destroyed by the Philistines, who had removed 
every blacksmith out of the land. Only Saul and his son had sword 
and spear; and the men had not been trained for battle. 

But Saul chose two thousand of the bravest men for himself and 
one thousand for his son Jonathan. With these they went to battle. 

Jonathan took his men and fought against some of the Philistines. 
This made the rest of the Philistines angry, and the whole army came 
rushing upon Israel. 



192 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

They were not prepared for this ; and although they called every 
one out to do his duty, they were driven back. All had to hide ; some in 
holes, some in caves, and anywhere they could. 

Sometime after this Jonathan did something that surprised all. 
Without telling any one, not even his father, he started out, with only 
his armor-bearer, toward the camp of the enemy. 

They climbed up the rocks on their hands and feet to where the 
Philistines were. Before going Jonathan said, ''It may be that the 
Lord will work for us : for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by 
many or few. And his armor-bearer said unto him. Do all that is in 
thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. 

**Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, 
and we will discover ourselves unto them. 

'*If they say thus unto us. Tarry until we come to you; then we 
will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. But if 
they say thus. Come up unto us ; then we will go up : for the Lord hath 
delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.*' 
1 Sam. 14:8-10. 

When the Philistines saw them, they said, ''Behold, the Hebrews 
come forth out of their holes where they had hid themselves. Come 
up to us, and we will show you a thing.'' 

Then Jonathan said to the armor-bearer, "Come up after me: 
for the Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Israel. And 
Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armor- 
bearer after him : and they fell before Jonathan ; and his armor- 
bearer slew after him. 

"And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer 
made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, 
which a yoke of oxen might plow. 

"And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all 
the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and 
the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.'' 1 Sam. 14: 12-15. 

When Saul's watchmen saw the confusion among the Philistines, 



FRO^. THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 193 

they wondered what it meant. Saul numbered his people to see who 
was missing, and found it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer. 

Then all the people hurried from their places of hiding and went 
ta help them. When they arrived among the Philistines, they found 
them slaying each other in their excitement. So the Lord saved Israel 
that day, and the battle passed over. 

* TT "JV "7^ 'K' ^ ^ tE" TT tP ^ '7^ Tp tP ^ 

tSatil is Rejected. 

THE morning before the battle just spoken of, Saul had said the 
people must not eat any food until the battle ended. 

Jonathan, not knowing of his father's command, came to a place 
where there was some honey, and he ate of it. The people then told 
him what his father had said, and Jonathan felt that his father had 
done wrong. He said the people could have done much more for the 
Lord if they had eaten food. 

That night the people were so hungry that they could not wait to 
have their food prepared as their law commanded. They killed and 
ate it at once with the blood. Saul knew this was wrong; but instead 
of taking the blame upon himself, he thought it must lie among the 
people. He blamed them because God did not answer his prayer 
when he asked whether he should fight any more that night. 

When he was told that his son had eaten honey that day, he 
wanted to put him to death; but the people would not let him. 

Poor Saul ! he did not seem to realize that it was only by a careful 
walk before God that he was to keep his strength and influence. When 
God chose him for king, he was little in his own sight; but prosperity 
and praise seemed to puff him up. God had said that if they would 
fear and obey his voice, then their kingdom would stand; but if not, 
they would be punished. 

At one time the Lord sent Samuel to tell Saul that he must go 
and destroy all the Amalekites. He said not to leave any person or 
animal alive among tliem. Saul went, but he did not obey all of God's 



194 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

command. He took A gag, the king of the Amalekites, alive; but 
destroyed all the rest of the people. lie also saved the best of the 
sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and so did not 
utterly destroy them; but everything that was vile and refuse they 
destroyed. 

**Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying. It repent- 
eth me tliat I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from 
following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it 
grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. 

^*And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it 
was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carrael, and, behold, he set 
him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to 
Oilgal. 

**And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed 
be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. 

**And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep 
in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 

**And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: 
for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice 
unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 

**Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what 
the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 

**And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, 
wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord 
anointed thee king over Israel! And the Lord sent thee on a journey, 
and said. Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and 
fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou 
not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst 
evil in the sight of the Lord?" 1 Sam. 15:10^19. 

Then Saul tried to excuse himself, and said that he had obeyed 
the voice of the Lord; that he had utterly destroyed the Amalekites 
and had taken Agag; and that it was the people who had taken the 
spoil, which should have been destroyed. But he said they had taken 
it to sacrifice unto the Lord. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 195 

And Samuel said, ^^Hath the Lord as great delight in bnmt offer- 
ings and sacrifices, as in the obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, 
to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity 
and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the Lord, he hath also 
rejected thee from being king over Israel.'* 

**And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the 
skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The 
Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath 
given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.*' 1 Sam. 
15:27,28. 

Saul was very sorry then, and said he had sinned, and begged 
Samuel to turn and worship the Lord with him once more. This 
Samuel did, and then said to bring Agag to him. When Agag came, 
he said, '^Surely the bitterness of death is pasf ; but Samuel 
answered, **As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy 
mother be childless among women. '* And Samuel hewed Agag in 
pieces. 

Saul and Samuel never met again after this. Saul had become 
unfit for the kingdom, as Esau was for the inheritance of the first- 
bom. And as Esau's inheritance was given to his brother Jacob, so 
now the kingdom was to be given to another. 

The Lord said to Samuel, ^'It repenteth me that I have set up 
Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me, and hath 
not performed my commandments." But Samuel mourned for him 
until God said he must not mourn any more, but must go and anoint 
some one else as king. 

At first Samuel was afraid to go, but God said he must. And he 
was sent to a man of the name of Jesse. One of Jesse's sons was 
chosen, and Samuel anointed him as king instead of Saul. 




196 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

King; Satil. 

Once more a story I will tell, 

And trust you'll bear with me. 
It may not all the brightness share 

That you would like to see; 
It even may make tender hearts 

Feel very sad indeed, 
To see how Satan captures souls 

When they his words will heed. 

My story is about a man 

Of very humble birth. 
But stately, tall, and handsome, too, 

As found in all the earth. 
This man was chosen as a king 

To sit upon a throne: 
The thought was humbling, for he felt 

So little, and alone. 

This man was none but Saul of old, 

"Whom Israel made their king. 
The man was good, but it grieved God 

To have them do this thing ; 
For when they toolc an earthly king, 

It shut the dear Lord out. 
God wanted them to come to him 

With ev'ry care and doubt. 

When Israel entered Canaan's land, 

'Twas God who led them there ; 
And when his priests and prophets true 

Made known their wants through prayer, 
Then God would help them ev'ry time. 

When in this way they came. 
He was their king, whom they refused, 

All to their grief and shame. 

It made the prophet Samuel sad 
To listen to their plea; 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 19^ 

And earnestly he asked the Lord 

How this could ever be. 
Then God said, "Hearken to their voice; 

But tell them how this thing 
Will make them slaves unto the one 

Whom they choose as their king." 

In Saul they found all they desired; 

And they could then appear 
As other nations round about: 

They did not feel so queer. 
You know it is quite hard sometimes 

To hear some person say 
Bad things about us, and to point 

Us out in sneering way. 

W^e may not understand at first, 

Get hurt at what they say; 
But God will help us bear these things, 

If we will go and pray. 
But if we try to imitate, 

And thus avoid the sneer, 
We may escape, but, ah! our trust 

In God will disappear. 

When Saul no longer in his heart 

That warning voice could hear; 
When he no longer felt that God 

In time of need was near, 
We find him standing in array 

Before a giant foe; 
But Saul's great courage fails him now, 

Another man must go. 

And thus it was a young lad heard 

About this great affair. 
And sRid that he would dare to meet 

This bold Philistine there. 
What wonder now filled ev'ry heart. 

To think that just a boy 



J 98 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



Would think of marching out that day, 
This giant to destroy. 

Some thought 'twas pride that urged him on, 
And some that fame he sought, 

And said, ' ' His courage, though so great, 
Will soon all come to naught*'; 

But David bravely told them all 
From whence his strength would come. 




DAVID SLAYS A LION. 

And how God helped him slay a bear 
And lion when at home. 



Then Saul said, "Go,*' and bade him wear 
An armor strong and great; 




DAVID CTATHIIRING PEBBLES PROM THE BROOK. 



200 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



f ■ 



But David found he could not bear 

The armor's heavy weight. 
So going to the water's edge, 

Five stones he quickly sought 
And placed them in his shepherd 's bag, 

Which with his sling he'd brought. 

And then with only stall" m hand, 

They see brave David stand; 
How he will kill this giant foe 

They can not understand. 
The giant's heart was full of rage 

As he saw David there. 
And said that David's flesh would soon 

Be left for beasts to share. 

But David answered, "Nay, but thou 

This same death soon will see; 
For God hath sent me forth to smite 

And take thy head from thee. 
This battle is the Lord's to-day. 

As all must quickly own.'* 
And David, hasting forth, soon slew 

Ooliath with a stone. 

When Saul saw that his foe was dead, 

B}'' some one else was slain, 
And that it had no honor brought 

To him was very plain, 
A hatred in his heart arose; 

Saul let it have full sway 
Against the one who'd vict'ry won 

For Israel there that day. 

He heard the people praising, too. 

Brave David on the street, 
And in his heart the words they said 

AVere anything but sweet. 
'Twas from that time Saul sought a way 

This brave young boy to kill; 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 201 

But through God's all- wise providence 
These plans could not fulfil. 

You see, when God had left poor Saul, 

An evil spirit came, 
And, making its abode with him. 

Led on in sin and shame. 
He saw in David what he'd lost, 

For once he loved God, too; 
Ah ! would God take the kingdom next. 

And give to one more true? 

Poor David's heart was very sad, 

He lived in constant fear 
That Saul, when in a jealous rage, 

Would smite him with his spear. 
He had to seek a home in caves, 

Or in the hills, or wood; 
But David never in his heart 

AVished aught for Saul but good. 

While Saul was seeking David's life 

In ev'ry way he knew. 
He quite forgot his enemies 

Until they came in view. 
The van of the Philistine hosts 

Came looming now in si^rht; 
Then David Saul was forced to leave, 

And for his country fight. 

Poor Saul! how much he needed help! 

But where now could he go? 
The Lord a deaf ear turned to him, 

No visions would he show. 
And Samuel dead, and David— ah I 

Just then a thought appeared— 
He'd seek a woman who could tell 

Him of the things he feared. 



202 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

The witch of Endor was the one 

Saul sought with greatest care, 
And asked that Samuel might appear 

To talk with him while there. 
He told the wizard not to fear 

That she would be destroyed, 
But did not tell that he was Saul, 

When he her help employed. 

But when she saw the spirit rise. 

The woman cried with fear; 
For she could then see Saul's deceit, 

And thought that death was near. 
But Saul said, *'No; be not afraid, 

Thy life I do not seek; 
But tell, didst thou see Samuel? 

For I would with him speak." 

When she told Saul all that she saw. 

He stooped, and bowed his face; 
No doubt, once more his conscience spoke, 

And he felt his disgrace. 
Saul then told Samuel all his woe. 

And said, *'I'm sore distressed; 
My enemies make war with me. 

And I'm in no way blessed. 

**Ood does not answer when I pray, 

By dream or prophet true. 
And that is why I 've called on thee ; 

So tell me what to do." 
And Samuel said, * ' Why then ask me, 

If thy prayers are in vain? 
To-morrow thou and all thy sons 

Shall number with the slain. 

**The kingdom which thou lovest weU 
Thy God hath rent from thee; 

Another man upon thy throne 
From this time shall there be." 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 203- 

Ah! when Saul heard his awful doom, 

'Twas more than he could bear; 
He straightway fell upon the floor, 

And laid in silence there. 

At last this God-forsaken king, 

"With heart so full of woe, 
Went out into the darkness there. 

And next day met his foe. 
And when Saul on that dreadful day 

Knew that he soon must die, 
He fell upon his own sword there, 

When he saw death was nigh. 

Well, Israel, I truly think, 

AVhen all this trouble came, 
Must then have longed for their first king — 

Jehovah was his name. 
They must have seen their error, too. 

In asking for a king; 
But God brought all this out for good, 

As he does everything. 

It was not long ere David ruled, 

And he was good and true; 
Through all his reign he sought to keep 

The Lord's will e'er in view. 
God sent at last his Son to reign 

And rule in all the land ; 
And he reigns still upon a throne, 

Ilis kingdom e'er shall stand. 

David CHosen Instead o^^ Satil* 

NOW, Jesse was a grandson of Eutli the Moabitess. He had eight 
sons. When Samuel went to Bethlehem, he sent for this man and 
his sons to come to the sacrifice he was making to the Lord. God told 



204 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Samuel that in looking for a king to succeed Saul he must be careful, 
not to look at the outward appearance of the man, his height or his 
countenance. God wanted a king whose heart was right. 

One by one the tall, handsome sons of Jesse passed before Samuel. 
Each time Samuel said, *'Noi; this is not the one whom God has 
chosen. '^ 

When the seventh son had passed, Samuel asked Jesse if these 
were all the sons he had. Jesse answered that there was one more, 
a boy, who was keeping sheep. And Samuel said, ^'Send and fetch 
Mm; for we will not sit down until he comes.'' 

Then his father sent for him and brought him before Samuel. 
As soon as Samuel saw him, the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for 
this is he. ' ' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the 
presence of his brethren ; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David, 
for that was his name. 

But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit 
troubled him. When Saul's servants saw that the evil spirit came 
upon their king, they told him to look for some one who could play 
well upon a harp, and perhaps the music would drive the evil spirit 
from him. So Saul said, "Look now out for me a skilful player, and 
bring him to me." 

One of his servants said he had seen such a man, a son of Jesse. 
It was David whom he meant. Now, David could play well upon the 
harp; so Saul said to send for him. 

When David came and played such beautiful music, Saul loved 
him greatly; and David became Saul's armor-bearer. "And Saul 
sent to Jesse saying. Let David, I pray thee stand before me; for he 
hath found favor in my sight." And so David stayed with Saul. 

When the evil spirit came upon Saul, David would play, and the 
evil spirit would leave at once. 

The Bible does not say that at this time David knew he was ^ver 
to be king over Israel. But he knew from what Samuel had done to 
;him that God had called him for some special work. • -^' 




THE ANOINTING OF DAVID FOB KING. 



206 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

David Kills a Giant. 

ONCE more the army of the Philistines were gathered together 
to fight against the children of Israel. The two armies faced each 
other, having a valley between them. 

And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, 
named Goliath, whose height was about nine and one-half feet. This 
giant was dressed in an armor that nothing could pierce. Only one 
place was unprotected, and that was the forehead and eyes. 

He stood and cried to the armies of Israel and said, **Am not I 
a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man to fight 
with me, and to kill me; then will we be your servants: but if I prevail 
against him and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us.'^ 

When Saul and all Israel heard these words, they were dismayed 
and greatly afraid. 

In our last chapter David was spoken of. While he was not 
with Saul, he spent his time at home caring for his father's sheep. 

When the war began, David's three eldest brothers went with 
Saul to the battle. One day David's father sent him to see his 
brothers and to carry them something to eat. 

As he came near the place where his brothers were, he heard 
Goliath asking the people to send some one out to fight with him. 
David asked what he meant ; and when he understood, he said he would 
go, for he knew the Lord was able to deliver him into their hands. 

David's eldest brother was angry with him for talking this way, 
and accused him of coming down on purpose to see how the battle 
was going. David said this was not true. But he sent word to Saul 
that he would go and fight with the giant. 

Then Saul sent for David and said, ^^Thou art not able to go 
against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, 
and he a man of war from his youth." 

But David answered, *^Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and 
there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock. Thy 
servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this Philistine shall be as 
one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 




DAVID PLAYING ON HIS HARP BEFORE SAUL. 



208 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

The Lord that delivered me out of the paws of the lion and the bear 
will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine/' 

Saul then said to David, ^'Go, and the Lord be with thee." 

Saul put his armor upon David, but David had not proved them, 
and so took them off. "And he took his staff in his hand, and chose 
him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's 
bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and 
he drew near to the Philistine. 

"And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he dis- 
dained him : for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair counte- 
nance. 

And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy 
flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 

"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a 
sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the 
name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou 
hast defied. 

"This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will 
smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases 
of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to 
the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is 
a God in Israel. 

"And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with 
sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you 
into our hands. 

"And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and 
drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the 
army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and 
took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his fore- 
head, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face 
to the earth. 

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a 
stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him ; but there was no sword 
in the hand of David." 1 Sam. 17:40, 42, 44-50. 




I 

o 

CO 

a 

I 



14 



210 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

When the Philistines saw that Goliath was dead, they ran from 
the children of Israel, but many were killed and wounded. 

Saul asked who David was; and when he found that it was the 
same boy who had played the harp for him, he was surprised. 

sfe ^ ^ ^fc ^fe Jti ^z Siz ^b ^b 3& iit ^t aMb ^z 

David Finds a Friend and an Enemy. 

SAUL took David home witli him that day and would not let him 
go to his father's house any more. Here he became acquainted with 
Jonathan, Saul's son. They soon became great friends, and Jona- 
than loved David so much that he put his own robe upon him and 
gave him his sword and bow. 

For a while all went well, and David went wherever Saul told 
him to go. He was loved by all, and Saul made him captain of 
the men of war. 

But something happened that made Saul David's greatest enemy. 
As Saul was returning from battle one day, he heard the people sing- 
ing, *'Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." 
He was very angry when he heard this, and said, ^^What can he have 
more but the kingdom?" 

From that da}^ Saul sought to put David to death, but God pro- 
tected David from harm. 

One time as David was playing on the harp before Saul, an 
evil spirit came upon Saul, and he threw a javelin, or spear, saying, 
^*I will smite David even to the wall with it." But David stepped to 
one side and avoided it twice. 

Saul was afraid, because he saw the Lord was with David and 
was departed from himself. For this reason he placed David in the 
hottest part of the battle. Here Saul hoped David would be slain, 
and it would not appear that he had done it. 

But God worked out this also to his glory. When the people saw 
that the Lord was with David, they loved him all the more; but 
Saul's hatred increased. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 211 

At last it was not safe for David to stay with Saul, and he had 
to escape in the night. His wife, Michal, for he had been married 
to one of SauPs daughters, let him down through a window. She 
then took an image and placed it in his bed, and told the soldiers 
whom Saul had sent for David, that he was sick and could not go. 

The men were at once sent back to bring David upon his bed, 
that Saul might slay him. But when the messengers came, they dis- 
covered that an image was in the bed and David was not there. 

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David's Friend. 

POOR David! AVith a sad heart he went to his friend Jonathan. 
In his grief he cried out, ''What have I done? what is my sin before 
thy father, that he seeks my life!" 

Jonathan told David that he did not believe his father meant to 
kill him, for he was sure his father would have told him if he had 
intended to do so. David answered that Saul knew they were friends 
and he would hide anything like that from him, but he was sure Saul 
meant to have him put to death. 

Then Jonathan promised he would do anything in his power for 
David. They went out into a field and had a long talk. Jonathan 
must have felt that God would some day make David king over Israel 
instead of his father or himself; but not the slightest feeling of 
jealousy entered his heart. He had nothing but the deepest love for 

his friend. 

Here alone in the field they promised that they would always do 
all they could to protect one another. And Jonathan made David 
promise that when his trouble was ended he would always show kind 
ness to him and his children ; and David promised. 

What deep faith in God, and full trust in David, Jonathan showed 

in this request. 

Jonathan then said that he would go to his father and see if he 
really sought David's life, and that when he found out, he would 
return with a little boy. 



212 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

' Near a large rock, where David was to hide, he would Miobt three 
arrows. If Saul meant to do David no harm, he would say to the lad, 
** Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them." Then 
David was to know that there would be peace to him, and no- hurt 
But if he said to the boy, ''Behold, the arrows are beyond thee^'' then 
David was to go his way and know that the Lord had sent him away. 
So David hid himself. • ; 

Jonathan soon found that his father intended to kill David. When 
Jonathan tried to take David's part, Saul threw his javelin at him. 

In the morning Jonathan took the lad and did as he had promised 
David he would do. ''And he said unto his lad. Run, find out now 
the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow 
beyond him. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow 
which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is 
•^ot the arrow beyond thee? 

"And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not 
And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 
But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the 
matter. 

"And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto 
him, Go, carry them to the city. 

"And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place 
toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed him- 
self three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with 
another, until David exceeded. 

'*And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we 
have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying. The Lord be 
between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever. And 
he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city./' 1 Sam. 
20:36-42. 

Thus the two noblest men in Israel parted, only to meet oncer 
afterward, and that in very sad and different circumstances. 




THE TWO FRIENDS. 



214 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



David's Enemy* 



NOW David was cast upon the hard cruel world, with no one to 
confide in except God. Not even the friendship of Jonathan could 
help him now. 




DAVTD AN^D SATTT. TN THE CAVE. 



He must seek shelter somewhere— but where could he go? Out- 
side the land of Israel with SauPs enemies would he best. But the 
way was long and full of dangers. 

So we find David seeking help and advice from the true source. 
It was God who helped him to kill the lion and save his father's flock; 
and it was God who enabled him to kill the giant and save Israel. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 215 

His trust waB still in God, and to him and to his house he went for 
help. Ahimelech the high priest was there, and was surprised to see 
David. 

But David had no time to spare, and he told Ahimelech that his 
business required haste. He asked for ^ve loaves of bread. Being 
told there was nothing but the shewbread, he took that, and also the 
sword of Goliath. 

David noticed that one of SauPs servants, named Doeg, was 
there, and David felt afraid that this person would do him harm; but 
it could not be helped. 

He then went to Gath, the very town in which Goliath had lived. 
It seems strange that he should do this. Still, he may have thought 
that these Philistines would be glad to have him, since they hated 
Saul. If this was his thought, it did not turn out as he expected. 

**And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the 
king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, 
saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands! 

'^And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid 
of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, 
and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors 
of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 

^'Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: 
wherefore then have ye brought him to me 1 Have I need of mad men, 
that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence! 
shall this fellow come into my house ?^' 1 Sam. 21:11-15. 

Then David left this place and went to live in a cave. When his 
father and mother heard where he was, they went down and lived with 
him. About this time David wrote the thirty-fourth, fifty-sixth, and 
fifty-seventh Psalms. Not only his parents went to live with him, but 
also ''every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, 
and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; 
and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about 
four hundred men." 



216 BEAUTIFUL STOEm&yi' 

David -s parents were old, and he felt, tla'at this cave was not a^ 
suitable place for them to live. So he asted this of the king of Moab: 
**Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with 
yon, till I know what God will do for me.VV 

***************** , 

Doeg tKe Sodomite. 

NOW that David's parents were safely removed, he went into 
the land of Judah. Here he hid in the forest with his men. 

It was not long until Saul heard of David's hiding-place. '*Now 
Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his 
hand, and all his servants were standing about him." Among these 
servants was Doeg, the same man that David had seen in the taber- 
nacle when he went to enquire of the priest. 

Saul asked why no one tried to help him or tell him anything 
about David. No one answered at first; but soon Doeg said he had 
seen David in the priest's house, and that the priest enquired of the 
Lord for David, gave him victuals, and handed him the sword of 
Goliath. 

This was enough for Saul, whose mind and conscience were so 
corrupt. Saul could never expect anything from tlie ministers of 
God; for had they not said he was rejected and the kingdom given 
to another? It was not hard for him to believe that the priests had 
made a plot against him. In this way Doeg worked mischief. 

Then Saul had all the priests called. They tried to explain that 
they did not know David was fleeing from him, but Saul would not 
listen. He commanded all of the priests to be put to death. 

No one would touch the priests of the Lord. Then the king turned 
to Doeg and told him to fall upon them. Now Doeg was not one of 
the children of Israel, for he was descended from Esau. He must 
have been a very wicked person, for at Saul's command he slew that 
day eighty-five priests. And he slew every man, woman, and child 
in Nob, the city where the priests lived; also every animal was slain. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 2%! 

One : of Ahimelech's sons escaped and went to David. His name 
was Abialter. He told David all that had happened. And Da^rid 
said, 'M l^new it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he 
wosMsnti^ly:. tell Saul: I have occassioned the death of all the persons 
of thy father's house. Abide thou with me, fear not: but with, me 
thou shalt be in safeguard.'' 

^* "T^ "ft ^P "W ^F ^F "TP "fF "^ tP ^ ^F w W 

Last Meeting of David and JonatHan. 

WHILE David was hiding from Saul, news came to him that 
the people living in the oit^ of Keilah were suffering on account of 
the Philistines. He asked of God through Abiathar the priest whether 
he should go and help them. God said to go; so David went and 
saved them from their enemies. 

Saul heard that David was in this city, and at once gathered an 
army to go and try to kill him. But David escaped from there and 
lived in the woods. 

It was in these woods that Jonathan came to his friend and 
strengthened him in the Lord. Jonathan said to David, ^^Fear not: 
the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee ; and thou shalt be king 
over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee ; and that also my father 
knoweth. " What courage and faith Jonathan showed by this act! 

This was the last time they ever met, but David in after years 
did not forget his promises to his friend. 

David now fled from one place to another until escape seemed 
impossible. Saul and his soldiers were almost ready to take him. 
How David cried unto the Lord for help we learn from the fifty-fourth 
Psalm. Just at the last moment God delivered him. 

When it seemed that David and his men would certainly be killed, 
news came to Saul that there was trouble with the Philistines. A 
messenger came and said, ** Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines 
have invaded the land. Wherefore Saul turned from pursuing after 
David, and went after the Philistines." 



218 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

The way God delivered David shows how easy it i-s for God to 
help his people when they are in trouble. David said, **Wll^n I cry 
unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; foi" God 
is with me. In God have I put my trust; I will not fear -what man 
can do unto me. ' * 

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^ ^F ^r TV ^T ^P "^ TT ^P ^F tF ^F ^F ^F ^F 

Satil in David's Power. 

SAD though it may seem, to follow the story of Saul, yet it will 
always be a warning to us. God was departed from Saul and Satan 
was having full power over his life and actions. He was to be pitied 
as well as feared. David did not wish Saul any harm. It was jealousy 
that caused Saul to act as he did. 

At one time when David and his men were hiding in a cave, Saul 
came into the same cave. This was a very trying moment for David ^a 
men. There Saul was right in their power, but David would not let 
them touch him. 

David cut off a piece of SauPs robe. This was all he did, but 
his conscience troubled him for doing even that. He said, ^*The Lord 
forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's 
anointed.'' 

When Saul arose and passed out of the cave, David followed and 
called after him. What surprise must have filled Saul's heart as he 
turned and saw David, whom he was seeking to murder! David asked 
him why he listened to what men said, for he did not intend to hurt 
Saul. 

When David showed Saul the piece of his robe, and Saul saw 
what danger he had just escaped, he was sorry for the way he had 
been acting. But David knew only too well that he would not be sorry 
long. So he hurried to change his hiding-place. As he expected, 
Saul, with murder in his heart, was soon following him. 

One night Saul and his army were gathered near where David and 
his men were hiding. All was quiet and every one asleep. Then 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 219' 

David and his nephew went carefully down into the very midst of 
SauPs army. God must have made the soldiers sleep very soundly, 
for no one heard David and his nephew. 

No thought of hatred was in the heart of David as he went 
carefully up to Saul. He only wanted to show him again that he did 
not wish to do him harm. 

At SauPs head was his spear, stuck into the ground, and by his 
side stood a cruse of water. David's nephew begged leave to kill 
Saul, and said it would not be the same as though David had killed 
him; but David would not listen. He simply took the spear and cruse 
of water and went away. 

No one knew they had been there. They went away as quietly 
as they had come. When they were a long way off, David called to 
Abner, the captain of Saul's men, and then told him what he had 
done and how easily he could have slain the king had he wished to. 

Again Saul was ashamed and saw that he had done wrong. He 
told David to return, and promised to do him no harm. But David 
did not trust him and hurried to hide himself. This time he went 
to live among the Philistines. 

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Saul's DeatK. 

AGAIN we find Israel gathering for battle against the Philistines. 
How different is the scene from that of Gideon and his army! Saul, 
the God-forsaken king, is hurrying on to judgment and ruin. 

Gideon, at God's command, reduced his army to three hundred 
men. Then as he crept down among the cneiny, lioard them tell of 
their own destruction. But Saul— ah, wliore could he look for help? 
Samuel was dead; his heart was so wicked that he could not expect 
help from God; and there was no l^avid to meet a Goliath. 

Saul was so anxious to know what his fate was to be that he 
went to a witch, a woman who had a familiar spirit, to find out. 

Before this he had ordered all such persons killed, which was 



220 BE A UTIFUL STORIES 

according to God's commandment; now he wanted so mtich to know 
what would happen in this battle, that he went to one of these peopIiB^ 

This woman was called the witch of Endof, Saul dressed himself 
so that she would not know who he was, and then asked her tO' call up 
Samuel. 1 Sam. 28:7-25. 

Samuel, before his death, had told Saul that the kingdom was 
taken from him and given to another. Saul knew all this, but he 
wanted to know how this battle was to end and if he should be killed. 

When the woman called up the spirit, which seems to have been a 
spirit pretending to be Samuel, Saul was informed by the spirit that 
the next day he and his sons should die. Saul fainted when he heard 
this, and all his strength left him. When his strength returned, he 
sadly went forth to meet his death. 

The battle was fierce and long. When Saul saw that he must 
die, he asked his armor-bearer to kill him. When he refused, Saul 
fell upon his own sword. SauPs three sons also were killed that 
day; and when Israel saw that they were dead, they fled; and the 
Philistines came and dwelt in their towns. The bodies of Saul and 
his three sons were shamefully mistreated and then hung upon a wall. 

When the men of Jabesh-gilead heard what had been done to the 
bodies of Saul and his sons, they went one night and took the bodies 
down and burned them and then buried the bones under a tree. Then 
they fasted seven days. In this way they showed that they were grate- 
ful for what Saul had done for them in the past. 1 Sam. 11 : 1-15. 

David was the only true mourner for Saul, the one who had so 
bitterly persecuted him. In this David was an example of Christ, 
who alone wept over Jerusalem, which was getting ready to betray 
and crucify him. 

Many beautiful psalms were written by David— most of them 
while being driven from place to place by Saul. By carefully reading 
them you can see just how he felt. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 221 

i Kin^ David. 

ABOUT seven years after the death of Saul, David was mad». 
king over Israel and went to live at Jerusalem. When he became 
king, he did not forget his promise to Jonathan, that he would be kind 
to his children. Jonathan had one son, who was lame ; and David 
had him come to live with him. He ate at the same table with David, 
and thus David by his kindness fulfilled his promise. 2 Sam. 9 : 3-13. 

David became a very great man, for God was with him and blessed 
him. He had a great many enemies to fight, for the surrounding 
nations were veiy warlike. But God helped David in all these battles, 
and he continued to grow in favor with God and man. 

About seventy years had passed since the ark of God had stood 
in the tabernacle. God's worship had been greatly neglected. Much 
had taken place in those years. But now David felt a real longing 
to see God worshiped in the way the Lord had intended. And so it 
was planned that the ark should be brought up to Jerusalem. 

Poor Israel! They had departed so far from the path of God 
that they had forgotten how God had commanded them to handle the 
ark ; but David chose the way that the Philistines had chosen when 
they sent it back from their land. 

It was all right for the Philistines to return it in that way, because 
there were no priests to handle it there; but now the ark was in the 
land in which God intended it to be, and should have been handled 
as God had told Moses in the wilderness. 

'*And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it 
out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and ITzzah and Ahio,. 
the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 

'*And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord 
on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and 
on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. 

'*And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth 
his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. 
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote 
him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. 



222 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

**And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall 
the ark of the Lord come to me? So David would not remove the ark 
-of the Lord unto him into the city of David: but David carried it 
aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 

'^And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-edom 
the Gittite three months : and the Lord blessed Obed-edom, and all his 
household/^ 2 Sam. 6:3, 5-7, 9-11. 

When David heard that God had blessed the man with whom the 
.ark was, he went at once and brought it up to Jerusalem. This time 
he did it in God's own way, and the ark was placed safely in the 
tabernacle. 

David was not satisfied, however; because he saw that his own 
house was made better and more beautiful than the Lord's, and he 
wanted it otherwise. The Lord was pleased with David for feeling 
thus, but said David was not the one to build the Lord's house. Yet 
some day there must be a house built, and God would give David a 
son who should build it. 

David had two sons named Solomon and Absalom. Solomon was 
the one whom God chose to build the temple of the Lord. 

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Close of, David's IVei^n. 

GOD loved David verj^ much and blessed his service as a king. 
But David did some things that were wrong. For these sins he was 
very sorry and earnestly asked God's forgiveness. God forgave him, 
but he had to suffer some things on account of his sins. 

His two sons Absalom and Solomon were very handsome men, 
and either seemed suitable to fill his father's place upon the throne. 
But God told David that Solomon was the one chosen. 

Jealousy and hatred filled Absalom's heart, and he planned to 
become king even before his father's death, if possible. He began 
first by winning the love and confidence of the people and telling them 
things that were untrue about his father. ^*So Absalom stole the 
hearts of the men of Israel." 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



223 



At last David was forced to leave Jerusalem and hide for fear his 
son would kill him. Then David's heart was sad, and he went up by 
the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up. He had his 
head covered and went barefoot; and all the people that were with 
him wept. 




DAVID CURSED BY SIHMEl. 

As he was passing along, and feeling so sad, a man named Shimei, 
of the house of Saul, came out and cursed and cast stones and dirt at 
him. What he said was very insulting, but David would not let his 
men touch Shimei. David said this was nothing compared with the 
sorrow he felt in regard to his son Absalom. 

David had not left Jerusalem any too soon, for Absalom and his 
men soon came to take possession of the city. 



mA BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

i^ Ahithophel, who had been a very dear friend to David,. now turned 
from him in this his hour of need. He at once gave his friendship to 
Absaloin and tried to help him against David. .'li., 

ii An old man whose name was Hushai remained behind. Hushai 
had also been a friend and adviser to David. He wanted to ^ go with 
David, but it was thought by his remaining he might be able to over- 
throw any mischief Ahithophel mi^it do. This proved to be the case; 
for Ahithophel, knowing so much about David, could easily plan a way 
to capture him. 

Absalom was about to act upon the advice of Ahithophel, but he 
happened to think of Hushai, and as he was older, thought his advice 
might be better. 

It was very easy for Plushai to think of many reasons why 
AhithophePs advice was not good, and then to point out a plan that 
would be in David's favor. Then Hushai sent two messengers to warn 
David of his danger. 

Absalom and His Sad DeatH. 

WHEN Ahithophel saw that his advice was not taken, he seemed 
to know how things would go. He went at once to his home and 
hanged himself. 

Those who prove untrue and forsake their friends, generally have 
a bad end. Judas, one of the apostles of the holy, loving Jesus, 
allowed Satan to come into his heart. He did this by allowing his 
love for money to lead him to be a traitor, and, for a few dollars, to 
betray Jesus to his enemies. He too went and hanged himself after- 
ward. 

The messengers whom Hushai sent, were in great danger; but a 
woman hid them in a well, and they were not seen. They reached 
David in safety and warned him of his danger. 

He had time to safely cross the river Jordan with his men. Then 
they hid within a wood where there were many dangerous holes and 
thickets. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 225 

With Absalom things did not go well. Many of his men were 
destroyed in the holes and thickets, and more were killed in this way 
than with the sword. 

'*And Absalom met the ser\^ants of David. And Absalom rode 
upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great 
oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between 
the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went 
away. ^r 2 Sam. 18:9. 

And Absalom was killed. They ''cast him into a great pit in 
the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all 
Israel fled every one to his tenf 

How different this burial was to the one Absalom had wished to 
have! '^In his lifetime he had taken and reared up for himself a 
pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep 
my name in remembrance : and he called the pillar after his own name : 
and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place." 

David 's men had not allowed him to go into the battle, but he stood 
in the gate of the city to hear the first news if possible. Here he was 
when messengers came and told of Absalom's death. 

'* And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over 
the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, my son Absalom, 
my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, Absalom, 
my son, my son ! " 2 Sam. 18 : 33. 

There was not much rejoicing over the victoiy of the battle; for 
the people saw how their king was grieved. 

Now that Absalom was dead, his followers remembered how much 
David had done for them ; how they had been delivered out of the 
hand of their enemies so many times; and now he had fled from the 
land on account of Absalom. 

And since Absalom, whom they had anointed king over them, was 
dead, the people went and brought David back; and he was once more 
their king. 

Shimei, the man who had cursed David when he thought Absalom 
was to be king, now came forward and begged to be forgiven. 

1.5 



226 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

David sang a beautiful song of thanksgiving to the Lord. It is 
found in the twenty-second chapter of 2 Samuel. 

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David's Death* 

DAVID'S work upon earth was nearly ended. He had longed to 
see the Lord's house built while he was still living, but God had chosen 
another to do it. 

Before his death he made every plan possible for the building of 
it. And he prepared gold, silver, and brass in abundance. Timber 
and stone had also been made ready, and he told his son Solomon to 
add to all this. 

He called Solomon to him and said: **My son, as for me, it was 
in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God. But 
the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Thou hast shed blood 
abundantly, and hast made great wars : thou shalt not build an house 
unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in 
my sight." 

^^ Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; 
and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his 
name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness in his days. 

**He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, 
and I will be his father ; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom 
over Israel forever. 

* * Now, my son, the Lord be with thee ; and prosper thou, and build 
the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee. 

*^Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give 
thee charge concerning Israel: that thou mayest keep the law of the 
Lord thy God. 

'^Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes 
and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: 
be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed." 
1 Chron. 22:9-13. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 227 

And David told Solomon that there were plenty of men who could 
do the work. Solomon was quite young, but God fitted him for the 
work. 

Now the time of David's death drew near. He was the sweet 
psalmist of Israel. His last words were of perfect faith and gratitude 
to God for his tender mercies and love. He died in peace after having 
reigned over Israel for forty years. David's end was so different 
from the last of Saul's life. Saul's friends were very few, because 
he was so selfish and proud. Even God had to leave him. But 
David's friends were many. 

At one time, when David was at war with the Philistines, he said 
he should be so glad to have a drink from the old well in Bethlehem. 
Bethlehem was his old home and had been taken by the Philistines. 

David did not speak of the drink because he thought some one 
would bring it; but three brave men went and brought the water 
from the well. 

When David saw how much his men loved him and had risked 
their lives, he could not drink the water. He poured it out unto the 
Lord and said, ^'Be it far from me, Lord, that I should do this: 
is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?" 

Solomon was made king before his father's death, and in all Israel 
there was none so wise as he was. 

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THe Wisdom of iSolotnon. 

SOLOMON had given his heart to God while he was very young. 
He had been carefully raised by Nathan the prophet and tried to 
do what was right. 

One night God spoke to him in a dream and said, ''Ask what I 
shall give thee. ' ' Solomon did not ask for wealth or for anything that 
was selfish. He simply asked that he might have an understanding 
heart to judge the people and to help him know the difference between 
good and bad. 



228 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

It pleased God when Solomon asked for a wise heart. God said^ 
* * Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself 
long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life 
of thine enemies ; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern 
judgment ; behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given 
thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like 
thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 

**And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both 
riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings 
like unto thee all thy days. 

' * And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my 
commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen 
thy days. 

'*And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came 
to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 
and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made 
a feast to all his servants," 1 Kings 3:11-15, 

One time two women came to Solomon. Both lived in the same 
house, and each had a young child of nearly the same age. One night 
one of the babies died, and its mother arose and placed it in bed with 
the other woman and took the living child for her own. 

In the morning each mother claimed the living child; and as no 
one was there to decide, they went to Solomon. 

When each of the women had told the same story, that the living 
child was her own, Solomon, in a strange way, found out who was 
telling the truth. He commanded his servant to bring him a sword, 
and then said to cut the living child in two and give half of the child 
to each woman. 

When the true mother heard these words she said, '*0 my lord, 
give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said. 
Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. ' ^ 

Then the king said, ''The living child belongs to the woman who 
does not want it killed." He had not sent for the sword to kill the 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 229 

cMld, but that he might know who the true mother was. She was 
given the living child and went away rejoicing. 

All the people heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon, and 
they saw that his wisdom came from above. 

Solomon's WorK. 

THE special work Solomon had been called to do was to build 
the house of God. He had been king four years when he began. 
Every plan his father had made was carried out as nearly as possible, 
and he made many improvements. 

The building was made of great stones. These were all made the 
proper shape in the wilderness before they were brought to Jerusalem. 
When they were brought and placed together, each stone was ready to 
take its proper place in the building. There was no sound of hammer, 
ax, or any other tool in the house of God while it was being built. 

It would take too long to tell all about this great and beautiful 
building. But you can turn to the sixth chapter of 1 Kings, where 
all is explained. 

God was pleased with this beautiful house. When it was done, 
Solomon called all Israel together. Then tliey placed the ark within 
the holiest place, and offered sacrifices unto God. *^ There was nothing 
iiU: the ark save the two tables of stone [blocks of stone with the ten 
commandments written on them], which Moses put there at Horeb." 

After this Solomon prayed that God would bless the people, and 
that this house might be forever his home among them. God answered 
the prayer by sending fire from heaven, which burned up the sacrifice 
on the altar, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 

Then the people returned to their homes very happy and prais- 
ing, God; : 

This house that Solomon built was only a type of God's spiritual 
ho,us^, as this house is a building not made with hands. The stones 



230 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

are all prepared in the wilderness or world, and are men and women, 
boys and girls. 

Sins are like the rough corners on the stones. These are cut 
away by the word of God. Then that stone is placed in God's building. 

God's spiritual house is a beautiful building. Jesus gave his 
blood that everything about it might be perfect. Eph. 5 : 25-27. He 
as David's greater Son built the ti-ue temple of the Lord. This is 
called the church or house of God. "Know ye not that ye are the 
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 1 Cor. 
3: 16. *'Ye are God's building." 1 Cor. 3:9. 

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WHEN the beautiful house of God was finished, Solomon built 
many other buildings. In all he did, he showed such great wisdom 
that everybody wondered. The many nations around heard how wise 
he was. 

Solomon became so rich that he had everything his heart could 
think of or desire. So much had been said about his wisdom that the 
queen of Sheba came to see if it was true. 

She asked Solomon many hard questions, but he answered them 
all. This seemed wonderful to her; but when she looked around and 
saw all the work Solomon had planned, she was astonished. She said 
the half of his wisdom had not been told her. 

She had brought beautiful presents of gold, spices, and precious 
stones. These she gave to Solomon, and he gave her costly presents 
in return. She then went back to her home, wondering at his wisdom 
and thankful for the knowledge she had gained. He had told her all 
that was in her heart. 

But with all his wisdom and wealth Solomon did not find real 
happiness. 

In those days it was not thought wrong to have more than one 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 231 

wife, and the Bible say§ Solomon had many wives. Some of these 
wives had been taught to worship idols. 

Little by little Solomon yielded to his wives. At last he turned 
so far from the worship of the true God, that he worshiped idols. 

Solomon did not repent of this as his father David did of his sins. 
For this reason God said the kingdom of Israel would be divided 
after Solomon's death. But God did not forget his promise to David. 

God had promised David a son who would build the Lord's house, 
and said, '*I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit 
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes 
of the children of men : but rny mercy shall not depart away from him, 
as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

**And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever 
before thee: thy throne shall be established forever.'' 2 Sam. 7:14-16. 

God fulfilled this promise when Jesus was bom. He descended 
from David and was Israel's true king. 

Solomon wrote three books of the Bible— Proverbs, EcclesiasteSj. 
and Solomon's Song. In these he tells of many heartaches he had 
endured because he had tried so hard to enjoy all the pleasures of life. 

He said : ^ * Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them ; 
I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in 
all my labor. . . . Then I looked on all the works that my hand& 
had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do : and, behold all 
was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the 
sun.'' But **the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth 
no sorrow with it." 

*************** 

i 

Jeroboam and R.eIiLoboain. 

THERE was a young man among the children of Israel whose 
name was Jeroboam. One day a prophet named Ahijah met him as he 
was coming out of Jerusalem. 

Jeroboam had on a new garment; and they two were alone in the 



232 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

field. *'And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and 
rent it in twelve pieces. 

'*And lie said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the 
Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the 
hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee.^^ 1 Kings 11: 30, 31. 
' ' But he shall have one tribe for my servant David ^s sake. ' ' 

God said he would do this because Solomon had forsaken him and 
was worshiping idols. 

When Solomon heard what the prophet said, he tried to kill Jero- 
boam, for he wanted his son Kehoboam to be king in his place. But 
Jeroboam went and lived in Eg^^pt until Solomon ^s death. 

Solomon had not been careful to raise his son for the Lord ; in- 
stead, he was humored and spoiled. 

Now ttiat the time had come for Rehoboam to be king, the people 
came to him with a request. In some ways Solomon had been cruel to 
them, and they asked Eelioboam to be more land. 

Rehoboam did not give them an answer at once, but told them to 

wait three days and he would tell them what he would do. He then 
called the old men who were his father ^s friends, and asked them what 
was best to do. They told him to be kind to the people, and they would 
choose him for their king and be his servants forever. 

Then Rehoboam called the young men, and asked them what they 
thought would be best. They advised him to be more cruel to the 
people than his father had been. x\nd Rehoboam foolishly took the 
advice of the young men. Young people often think they know the 
best way; but true wisdom is generally with those who are older and 
have had more experience. . , _ , . 

In three days the people returned. Rehoboam told them that 
their burdens would be much heavier than they had been. He said that 
his little finger would be thicker than his father ^s waist, and that where 
his father had beaten them with whips, he would use scorpions, which 
were whips with many lashes, : v. f::h: 'i 

When the people heard him say this, they said they would choose 
another king. Then all the people ; left him> except the tribe of Judah 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 233 

and the tribe of Benjamin. The other ten tribes chose Jeroboam as 
their king. 

Jeroboam was very wicked, so that all the priests and Levites left 
their cities, among the ten tribes, and went to Jerusalem to live. Then 
Jeroboam destroyed all the altars and places where sacrifices were 
offered and set up idols and golden calves to be worshiped. 

This he did fearing the people would go up to Jerusalem and 
worship God. He was also afraid that when they saw the beautiful 
temple, and Rehoboam, they might still make him their king. 

So now Israel was divided and had two kings. 

TKe iStran^e PropHet. 

JEROBOAM was a very wicked king. One day as he was offering 
incense upon the altar he had made for himself, God sent a prophet to 
tell him some things that were going to happen. This prophet was 
from Judah. 

He said, ''O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord, Behold, a child shall 
be bom unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall 
he offer the priests, of the high places that bum incense upon thee, and 
men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. 

'^And he gave a sign the same day, saying. This is the sign which 
the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes 
that are upon it shall be poured out. ' ^ 

When King Jeroboam heard this strange man talking in this man- 
ner, he was angry and raised his hand and commanded the people, 
saying, ^*Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against 
him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar 
also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to 
the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.'' 
;; .; When Jeroboam saw what had taken place, and that his hand was 
withered, he said to the man of God, ''Entreat now the face of the Lord 



234 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again." 
The man of God prayed, and Jeroboam's hand was healed. 

Three hundred and fifty-one years after this. King Josiah called to- 
gether all the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; and 
the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to 
walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments with all their 
hearts and all their souls. And he destroyed their idols, altars, and 
groves. And he put down the idolatrous priests who had been ordained 
to burn incense in the high places. 

But when Josiah came to the altar which was at Bethel, and which 
Jeroboam had made, both that place and the high place he broke down 
and burned, and stamped it to powder, just as the prophet so many 
years before had told Jeroboam Josiah would do. 

'*And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were 
there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, 
and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it." 

But now we come to the strange part about the prophet who 
prophesied against the altar and Jeroboam. God had told him he 
must neither eat bread nor drink water in that place, nor return by the 
same road over which he had come. 

When Jeroboam's hand had been healed, he invited the prophet 
to go home with him and eat, and said he would give him a reward ; but 
the prophet said, '^If thou wilt give me the half of thine house, I will 
not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread, nor drink water in this 
place: for it was so charged me by the word of the Lord.^' 

The Strangle Prophet Is Slain* 

**NOW tliere dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came 
and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in 
Bethel: the words which be had spoken unto the king, them they told 
also to their father. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 235^ 

'*And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his 
sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. 

**And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled 
him the ass : and he rode thereon, and went after the man of God, and 
found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the 
man of God that earnest from Judah*? And he said, I am. 

^'Then he said unto him. Come home with me, and eat bread. And 
he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will 
I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: for it was said to 
me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water 
there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 

*'He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art: and an 
angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying. Bring him back 
with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. 
But he lied unto him. 

**So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house and 
drink water. 

*^And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of 
the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: and he cried 
unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the 
Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and 
hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded 
thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the 
place, of which the Lord did say to thee. Eat no bread, and drink no 
water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 

**And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had 
drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for tlie prophet whom 
he had brought back. 

*'And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew 
him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the 
lion also stood by the carcase. 

**And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the 
way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it 
in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 



236 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

**Aiid when the prophet that brought him back from the way 
heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto 
the word of the Lord : therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto 
the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word 
of the Lord, which he spake unto him. 

'*And he spake to his sons, saying. Saddle me the ass. And they 
saddled him. And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and 
the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten 
the carcase, nor torn the ass. 

^ ^ And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid 
it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the 
city, to mourn and to bury him. 

^^And laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over 
him, saying, Alas, my brother! 

'^And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to 
his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre 
wherein the man of God is buried: lay my bones beside his bones: for 
the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar 
in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in 
the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.'' 1 Kings 13:11-32. 

Li after years, when Josiah was destroying the places of worship 
that Jeroboam had set up, and burning the bones of those who had done 
so wickedly, he saw an inscription and asked what it was. And the men 
of the city said, '^It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came 
from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against 
the altar of Bethel. " 

And Josiah said, **Let no man move his bones. So they let his 
bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria." 

A Sad Picture. 

UNHAPPINESS and sin go hand in hand. God had mkd^'many 
.promises to his people if only they would love and obey hiih'; but much 
of the time they failed to do this. '■ • ^''■■' : .^^'W v. . .^ : >^ a' 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 2a7 

' \ Wllen the people chose a king, God told them, through Samuel^ 
what a change would come to pass. 1 Sam. 8: 10-18. Still they Said, 
' -Nay, but we will have a king over us.'' Now they could look back and 
see what their foolish desire had brought them to. They could see the 
sad end of Saul and how his kingdom was taken from his seed forever. 

In David things were brighter, because he looked to God for his 
strength; 

Solomon began aright by asking wisdom and understanding from 
above, but he afterward let sin and idolatry creep in. Shortly before 
his death God sent a prophet of the name of Ahijah, who said that the 
kingdom should be divided after Solomon's death; that Eehoboam, 
Solomon's son, should reign over the tribe of Judah, with Benjamin^ 
biit ten tribes should be given to a man whose name was Jeroboam; and 
that there should be war between these two kings all their days. 

Both kings were very wicked and did much evil in the Lord^s^ 
sight; but for David's sake the kingdom of Judah was not taken away 
from Eehoboam. The people of Judah from this time on were known 
as Jews and the other ten tribes as Israel. 

The end of Jeroboam reminds one of Saul. God-forsaken, Saul 
disguised himself and weni to enquire of Samuel. He wanted to know 
what would happen concerning himself and his kingdom. Now Jero- 
boam did something much the same. His sou was very sick. He 
expected some day this son would be king, and he wished to know 
whether the child would get well. 

Then Jeroboam remembered the prophet Ahijah, who had told 
him he Was to be king (1 Kings 11:28-40), and thought perhaps he 
could tell them what would become of the child. Jeroboam told his 
wife to dress so that the prophet would not know her, take a nice pres- 
ent, and go to him. 

''And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and 
came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes 
were set by reason of his age. 

'*^And the Lord said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam 
Cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus 



238 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she 
shall feign herself to be another woman. 

^*And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she 
came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; 
why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with 
heavy tidings. ' ' 1 Kings 14 : 4-6. 

He told her that the child would die and the kingdom be taken 
from her husband. And God said he would give Israel up because of 
the sins of Jeroboam. 

Even Judali would have been cut off for their horrible sins, had 
it not been for the faithfulness of God to the promise he made 
David. '^Nevertheless for David's sake did the Lord his God give him 
a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish 
Jerusalem.'' 1 Kings 15:4. 

"fr tF ^F •ft" TP "Tp TnF ^r 'wr 'fp ^' ^F ^F tF 'tP «■ 

Asa and His Son JeKosHapliat. 

JUDAH and Israel had many kings. Some were good^ but the 
most of them were very wicked. We shall not try to write of many, 
but some good lessons may be drawn from a few of their lives. 

Asa, the third king of Judah, was a good man and tried to do 
what was right in God's sight. He destroyed all the idols his father 
had made and even had his grandmother, Maachah, removed from 
being queen. She had made an idol in a grove. This idol Asa burned 
by the brook Kidron. 

'^And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and 
he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest. 

*' Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make 
about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet 
before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought 
him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and 
prospered. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 239 

*'And Asa had an army of men tllat bare targets and spears, out 
of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare 
shields and drew bows, two hundred and four score thousand: all these 
were mighty men of valor. 

**And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an 
host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came 
unto Mareshah. 

**Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array 
in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 

**And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said. Lord, it is 
nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have 
no power: help us, Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy 
name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let 
not man prevail against thee. 

^*So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; 
and the Ethiopians fled. 

**And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto 
Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not 
recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and 
before his hosts; and they carried away very much spoil.'' 2 Chron. 
14:6-13. 

Although Asa tried to do what he thought would please God, he 
forgot, in a few instances, to look to the Lord for help. 

In the thirty-sixth year of his reign he sent a present to the king 
of Syria. This present was gold and costly things taken from the 
Lord's house. 

He asked this king to help him in time of battle. He did help him, 
but afterwards a prophet, whose name was Hanani, came to Asa and 
said, *' Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied 
on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped 
out of thine hand. 

'*Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very 
many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, 
he delivered them into thine hand. 



240 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

.**For the •eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole 
earth ; to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is per- 
fect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from 
henceforth thou shalt have wars." 2 Chron. 16:7-9. 

Toward the end of his life, Asa had a disease in his feet. Again 
he failed to look to the Lord for help, and did not trust God to heal 
him. He went to the physicians for help, just as he had gone to the 
king of Syria. How easily God could have healed him, and how gladly 
he would have done so, had Asa prayed, and trusted him. 

Many people to-day do the very same thing. Instead of asking 
the Lord to heal them, they rush away after a physician. The Bible 
says, * ^ The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise 
him up." 

God had revealed himself to be the physician of his people (Ex. 
15:26), and had promised to take sickness away from them. Ex. 
23 : 25. King Asa knew these promises, but he did not seek help from 
the Lord in his sickness, but from the physician. 

After his death his son Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. Jehosh- 
aphat was a good king and tried to rule the people in the fear of 
God. He sent Levites around to all the cities to teach the people out 
of the law, which was the first five books of our Bible. This was all 
the Bible they had for many years. 

£lijaH and Kin^ AKab* 

AHAB, the eighth king of Israel, was a very wicked man, and his 
wife, Jezebel, was a vile woman. Together they did much to displease 

the Lord. 

It was during the reign of Ahab that Jericho was rebuilt. We men- 
tioned this event at the end of the chapter entitled ^> The City of 
Jericho." 

When we hear of how wicked Ahab and Jezebel were, we are not 




It 



242 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

surprised to hear of God's sending judgment upon them in the form 
of a famine. 

The prophet Elijah was chosen by God to tell Ahab that there 
would be no rain in tlie land for a long time. 

God promised to take care of Elijah and give him food and water. 
God sent him to the brook Cherith, where he could drink of the water, 
and commanded the ravens to feed him there. Elijah went to this 
brook, and every night and morning the ravens brought him bread 
and meat. 

But after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain. 
Then God sent him to Zarephath. In this town was a poor widow, 
whom God had chosen to give Elijah food to eat. 

'^So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the 
gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks : 
and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in 
a vessel, that I may drink. 

''And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring 
me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 

' ' \nd she said. As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but 
an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, 
I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my 
son, that we may eat it, and die. 

"And Elijah said unto her. Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: 
but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after 
make for thee and thy son. 

''For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall 
not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord 
sendeth rain upon the earth. 

"And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and 
she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 

"And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil 
fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. 

"And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, 




TITE WIDOW PREPARES FOOD FOR KLIJAH. 



244 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that 
there was no breath left in him. 

'*And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou 
man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, 
and to slay my son! 

'*And he said unto her. Give me thy son. And he took him out of 
her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid 
him upon his own bed. 

**And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou 
also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying 
her son? 

'*And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried 
unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's 
soul come into him again. 

-*And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child 
came into him again, and he revived. 

**And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the 
chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah 
said. See, thy son liveth. 

'*And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art 
a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth." 
1 Kings 17 : 10-24. 



*************** 



THe Famine £iids. 



THE famine lasted about three years. Then God told Elijah to 
go to Ahab and tell him that he would again send rain upon the earth. 

Ahab and Jezebel were both very angry with Elijah, and had 
commanded that all the prophets of the Lord be killed, thinking that 
Elijah in this way might be slain. 

But God had spared Elijah's life, and he had also spared one 
hundred other prophets by raising up a man named Obadiah, the 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 245 

<jhief ofiScer of Ahab's household. Obadiah hid these prophets in a 
-cave and fed them with bread and water until they could escape. 

So now, when God said, **Go to Ahab,'' Elijah went bravely, as 
the Lord had said. 

On account of the famine, there was no grass for the animals; 
and Ahab and Obadiah went out to seek pasture for them. 

**And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said 
unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 

**And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy 
father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the 
Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. 

V*Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto Mount 
Oarmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the 
prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. 

**So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the 
prophets together unto Mount Carmel. 

**And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt 
ye between two opinions 1 if the Lord be God, follow him : but if Baal, 
then follow him. And the people answered him not a word." 1 
Kings 18:17-2L 

Elijah said, **I only am left on the Lord's side, but Baal's 
prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 

**Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose 
one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, 
and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it 
on wood, and put no fire under : and call ye on the name of your gods, 
and I will call on the name of the Lord ; and the God that answereth by 
fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is 
well spoken." 1 Kings 17:23,24. 

Then the sacrifices were prepared. The prophets of Baal called 
upon their god, saying, '*0 Baal, hear us," but they received no 
answer. At last they leaped upon the altar and called loudly, but to 
no effect; Baal could not hear them. They continued praying until 
evening for Baal to send fire to burn their sacrifice. 



'J4(; BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Elijah mocked them and said that perhaps their god was asleep, 
or was taking a journey. 

At last the prophets of Baal were worn out through trying to 
make their god hear, and then Elijah told the people to come near 
while he repaired the Lord's altar. Elijah took twelve stones, and 
with these built an altar in the name of the Lord. 

Elijah made a large trench around the altar; and when the sacri- 
fice was all ready, he said, '*Eill four barrels with water, and pour it 
on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second 
time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third 
time. And they did it the third time. 

''And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the 
trench also with water." 1 Kings 18: 34, 35. And then Elijah prayed, 
**Hear me, Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art 
the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 

''Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, 
and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water 
that was in the trench. 

''And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and 
they said, the Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. 

''And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not 
one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them 
down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there." 1 Kings 18:37-40. 

£lijaK Prays for R^aii^. 

ELIJAH had prophesied that there was to be a great famine in 
the land, as a punishment to king Ahab; and it was so. Now Elijah 
felt that the famine was over, and by faith he could hear the rain 
falling. He said to Ahab, "Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a 
sound of abundance of rain. 

'*So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to 
the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 247 

Ms face between his knees, and said to his servant, Go up now, look 
toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is 
nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 

^^And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said. Behold, 
there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he 
said. Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, 
that the rain stop thee not. ' ' 1 Kings 18 : 41-44. 

How great was Elijah's faith, and how faithful God was to answer 
prayer. Once, twice, yes, seven times, Elijah prayed; and as soon as 
he heard that there was a cloud the size of a man's hand, he sent word 
to Ahab, saying, *^ Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the 
rain stop thee not." And the rain came until there was an abundance. 

But now Elijah was to meet another trial. When Jezebel heard 
that he had slain the prophets of Baal, she sent a messenger to him, 
saying, '^So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy 
life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time." 

God sometimes gives his people a great victory and blessing just 
before they have to meet a severe trial. Perhaps to prepare them, 
that they may be more able to overcome the trial, and have their 
faith increased. But Elijah for a short time seemed to forget all that 
God had done for him in the past. 

When he received Jezebel's message, he fled, with his servant, into 
the wilderness. Then he went away by himself and sat down under 
a juniper-tree and prayed that he might die. He said, ^'It is enough; 
now, O Lord, take away my life ; for I am not better than my fathers. ' ' 

Poor Elijah! One would not have expected him to become dis- 
couraged in this way. . But God was caring for him just the same. 

This was simply a test. 

That night while he slept, an angel touched him and said, ** Arise 
and eat." '^And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on 
the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, 

and laid him down again. 

^^And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and 
touched him, and said. Arise and eat; because the journey is too 
great for thee. 



248 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



**Aiid he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength 

of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 

**And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, 




ELIJAH FED BY THE EAVENS. 

the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest 
thou here, Elijah! 

'*And he said, I have been jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for 
the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine 
altars, and slain tiiy prophets with tlie sword; and I, even I only, am 
left ; and they seek my life, to take it away. 

** And he said. Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. 
And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent 




GOD SK'NniN<,' FOOD TO KLIJAII. 



250 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

the monntaiiis, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; but the 
Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the 
Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but 
the Lord was not in the fire : and after the fire a still small voice. 

'^And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in 
his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, 
behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, 
Elijah r' 1 Kings 19:6-13. 

Elijah tried to excuse himself for hiding and wishing that he might 
die, and said, *^I, even I, only am left; and they seek my life, to take 
it away.'' Then the Lord encouraged him. 

God said that there were seven thousand in Israel who had not 
bowed the knee to Baal, nor kissed him. Elijah must have felt encour- 
aged when he heard this. 

God sent him back and told him to anoint a new king over Israel. 
From this on God's judgments fell upon Aliab. 

The Vineyard of Naboth.^ 

DURING Ahab's reign there was close to his palace a vineyard, 
that he coveted. It belonged to a man named Naboth. Ahab thought 
the vineyard would make him such a nice garden. He offered to buy 
it, but the vineyard had belonged to Naboth 's father, and Naboth felt 
that he could not part with it. 

Ahab did not think or care about the feelings of others; he only 
thought the vineyard would be nice for him to use as a garden. 

Naboth refused to give up the vineyard, and this made Ahab very 
angry, and he would not eat. When Jezebel heard why her husband 
was feeling bad, she told him to arise, and she would see that the 
vineyard was his. 

^*So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his 
seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in 
his city, dwelling with Naboth. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 251 

"And she wrote in tbe letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set 
Naboth on high among the people: and set two men, sons of Belial, 
before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme 
God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he 
may die/' 1 Kings 21:8-10. 

The men of the city did as Jezebel told them, and then sent her 
word that Naboth had been stoned to death. When Jezebel heard 
that Naboth was dead, she told Ahab; and he went to take possession 
of the vineyard. 

Once more the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab with a bitter message. 
He said, **Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? Thus saith 
the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall 
dogs lick thy blood, even thine.'' 

Then Ahab said to Elijah, '^Hast thou found me, O mine enemy! 
And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself 
to work evil in the sight of the Lord. The dogs shall eat Jezebel 
by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs 
shall eat ; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. ' ' 

Ahab was very sorry when he heard of this terrible punishment, 
and he humbled himself. Because of Ahab's humbling himself God 
said this evil should not come to pass while Ahab lived, but it should 
come in his son's days, and it did. Read 2 Kings 9:25,26, 30-37, 
and 10:8-n. 

Great and terrible is the wrath of our God when it is sent upon 
the children of disobedience: and it is sure to come. 

J^ M, Jit. ^ ^t, JiU J^L. ^L. JLL. ^U ^U 4t- 4<- ^ ^ 

£lijaH's Siiccessor. 

GOD told Elijah to anoint a young man named Elisha to be 
prophet in his stead after his work on earth was ended. 

This young man was ploughing in a field with twelve yoke of 
oxen when Elijah found him. As Elijah passed by, he threw his 



252 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

mantle over Elisha. By this, Elisha knew that God had chosen him to 
be a prophet. 

He went home and made a feast for his friends, and then bade 
them farewell. After this he went to live with Elijah, 

One day as these two prophets were walking along, Elijah told 
Elisha to wait at a certain place. Bnt Elisha said, '*As the Lord liveth, 
and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to 
Bethel. 

**And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to 
Elisha, and said unto him, knowest thou that the Lord will take away 
thy master from thy head to-day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold 
ye your peace. 

**And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for 
the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. 

*^And he said. As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will 
not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. 

'*And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to 
Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take 
away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I 
know it; hold ye your peace. 

'*And Elijah said unto him. Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord 
hath sent me to Jordan. And he said. As the Lord liveth, and as thy 
soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 

'^And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to 
view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 

'^And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote 
the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they 
two went over on dry ground. 

'^And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said 
unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from 
thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit 
be upon me. 

'^And he said. Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless^ if 



254 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee ; but if 
not, it shall not be so. 

*'And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, 
behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted 
them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 

'^And Elisha saw it, and he cried. My father, my father, the 
chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more : 
and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 

**He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and 
went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle 
of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where 
is the Lord God of Elijah! And when he also had smitten the waters, 
they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 

'^And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho 
saw him, they said. The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And 
they <iame to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before 
him.'' 2 Kings 2:3-15. 

When the people saw that Elijah was gone, they asked Elisha 
that they might go and look for him. For, they said, the Spirit of the 
Lord might have taken Elijah up and cast him upon a mountain, or 
into some valley. 

Elisha said not to go ; but when they urged him to send them, he 
at last gave his consent. Fifty men went and searched three days, but 
could not find Elijah, for God had taken him up to heaven. When 
they returned, Elisha said, ^^Did I not say unto you. Go not?" 

Elisha was in Jerico at this time. There was no good water in 
the place; so Elisha put salt in the spring, and by the power of God 
the water was made good. 

Elisha left this place and went to Bethel. On the way many little 
children came out of a certain city and mocked him. They said, 
'*Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead.'' No doubt they said 
this because of what had happened to Elijah. 

When Elisha saw the children mocking him, he pronounced a 
curse upon them in the name of the Lord. And two bears came out 




ELIJAH GOES UP TO HEAVEN. 



256 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



of the woods and tore forty-two of the children in pieces. Thus, God 
taught the people to respect his prophets. Never laugh at any one 
who is lame or blind, or a person with any physical imperfection, as 
Elisha. God does not let such things go unpunished. 




BEARS EAT THE WICKED CHH^DREN. 



•*#***#**#####• 



Elisha tKe Man of God* 

AS the days passed by Elisha increased in power and might with 
God. He did many miracles. 

At one time a widow came to him and said her husband was dead. 
Her husband had been in debt, she said, and now his creditor had 
come to take her two sons as payment for what he owed. 

Elisha was very sorry for her and asked what she had in her 
house. She answered, ** Nothing save a pot of oil.'* 

Then Elisha said: **Go, borrow thee vessels of all thy neighbors, 
even empty vessels; borrow not a few. .And when thou art come in, 
thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 257 

out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 

''So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon 
her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out 

**And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said 
unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is 
not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 

''Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell 
the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest." 
2 Kings 4:3-7. 

We can draw some beautiful thoughts from this little story. 

First, when we have some talent, God will increase it and cause 
it to become great if we use it as he says and trust him to increase it. 

Second, Elisha told the widow to borrow many empty vessels, 
and the oil did not fail until every vessel was full. 

Third, the oil was to be used at once in paying her debts. 

This oil might be compared to salvation, which will not fail as 
long as there is an empty vessel, or soul, to receive it. Those who 
profess to be saved should remember that they owe to all men a debt 
of love. They also have in their possession something that belongs to 
others as well as to themselves. 

' ' Owe no man an^^^thing, but to love one another : for he that loveth 
another hath fulfilled the law. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: 
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Rom. 13:8,10. 

Those who have salvation and are lovingly teaching others, or 
doing what they can to send the gospel to others, that they may be 
saved, are thus paying their debt. 

One day Elisha came to Shun em, where a rich woman lived. He 

had passed her house many times, and she felt that he was a good 

man; so she asked him to stop and eat. After that as often as 

he passed by, he stopped and ate the food she set out for him. At last 

she spoke to her husband, and they built him a little room where he 

could stop and rest. 

One time while in this room Elisha told his servant to bring the 

woman there. When she came, he asked her how he could pay her for 

all her kindness, and asked if he should speak to the king for her. But 

17 



258 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

she was not seeking any pay for what she had done, and then left 
the room. 

Elisha called the woman again and told her that as she had no 
child God would give her a son. At first she could not believe this, 
but it was true, for in less than a year she had a son. 

The child grew, and one day went out to his father, who was in 
the field with the reapers. While there he felt sick and cried out, 
**My head, my head.'' His father told a servant to carry him home. 
There his mother held him in her lap until about noon, when he died. 

When the mother saw that her son was dead, she carried him up 
to Elisha 's room and laid him upon the bed. She then went to find 
Elisha, and when she saw him, she fell upon her face and explained 
tliat her child was dead. Elisha was very sorry for her and hastened 
to the place where the child was laid. 

' ^ And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was 
dead, and laid upon his bed. 

'^He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and 
])rayed unto the Lord. 

' * And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon 
his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: 
and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child 
waxed warm. 

'^Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went 
up, and stretched himself upon him : and the child sneezed seven times, 
and the child opened his eyes. 

'^And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he 
called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up 
thy son. 

'*Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the 
ground, and took up her son, and went out. ' ' 2 Kings 4 : 32-37. 

Was not this a wonderful thing that Elisha did? Elisha 's prayer 
had been that he might be as great a prophet as Elijah. He was told 
that he might be if he saw Elijah taken up to heaven. God kept his 
promise, for Elisha was doing the same miracles that Elijah had done 
before him. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 
More about Elislia. 



259 



ONE time, when the prophets were gathered together, Elisha told 
his servant to set the great pot on the fire and cook some pottage for 
them to eat. There was a famine in the land at this time and food 
was very scarce. 




NAAMAN BATHES IN THE RHTER. 



One of the men went out into the field and found a wild vine and 
gathered gourds from it and put them in with the pottage. As they 
were eating they cried out, **0 thou man of God, there is death in the 
pot. And they could not eat thereof. 

**But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and 
he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was 
no harm in the pot.'' 2 Kings 4: 41. 



260 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Then a man came and brought to Elisha twenty loaves of barley 
and some ^rain. Elisha ordered this set before the men that they 
plight eat, but his servant thought it would not be a taste among so 
many. Elisha then said, **Give the people, that they may eat: for 
thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and leave thereof. So he set it 
before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word 
of the Lord/' 

In Syria there was a great and brave man. His name was 
Naaman and the king of Syria thought much of him for the many 
noble things he had done. But Naaman was taken with the dreadful 
disease of leprosy, for which there was no cure. 

The people of Syria were heathen, or those who worshiped idols. 
Some of these heathen people used often to come into Canaan and rob 
and hurt the Hebrews. Sometimes they would take children and 
make them their servants. 

Once these Syrians took away a little girl from the children of 
Israel, and sold her to a rich lady in their country to be her slave. 
The name of this lady's husband was Naaman. 

Then it was that the little Hebrew maid had a chance to testify 
for the Lord. Was she afraid to do so because she was among strange 
people, who knew nothing of God? Oh, no. She was old enough to 
know the Lord would heal people, and she said, ^*I wish that my lord 
were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would recover him 
of his leprosy. ' ' 

When Naaman heard this, he was filled with hope; but he did 
not know it was God who would heal him. 

The king of Syria sent to the king of Israel a nice present, and 
a letter asking the king to heal Naaman. And Naaman, who was 
proud, went into Caanan in grand style. He expected to be shown a 
great deal of respect, for he was honored so much in his own country. 
But in this he was disappointed. 

When this message was received, the king of Israel could not 
understand what was meant by it. He said, '*Am I God, to kill and 
to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his 
leprosy T ' He thought it must be a trick to bring on a war. 







THE F.TTTLE CAPTIVE MAID. 



262 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

But when Elisha heard of the message, and that the king had rent 
his clothes, he s«nt to ask why he had done this. Elisha told the king 
to send Naaman to him and Naaman should know that God had a 
prophet in Israel. 

So Naaman drove up and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 
**And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in 
Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou 
shalt be clean. 

'^But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said. Behold, I 
thought. He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the 
name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and 
recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, 
better than all the waters of Israel! may I not wash in them, and be 
clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 

'^And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My 
"^ather, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou 
not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, 
and be clean f 

'*Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, 
according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again 
like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." 2 Kings 5: 10-14. 

Then Naaman returned to Elisha 's house and said, ** Behold, now 
I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." 

Naaman wanted to give Elisha a present, but Elisha said he would 
not receive any, and so Naaman started to return home. 

The story of Elisha is long and filled with many good things, but 
the reader can turn to his Bible and read there the accounts for himself. 

In 2 Kings 5: 20-27 is the story of Gehazi, Elisha 's servant. It is 
a warning to all to tell the truth, and not to covet things that do not 
belong to them. 

The first seven verses of the next chapter tell about Elisha ^s 
causing an ax to float on the water. Prom the eighth to the twenty- 
third verses is an account of how God through Elisha delivered the 
children of Israel from the Syrians. And the remainder of the chapter 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



263 



is an account of a woman who because of the great famine in the city 
of Samaria boiled her own son and helped to eat him. You can get 
your Bible and read these accounts for yourself. 

In 2 Kings 8: 1-6 something more is found about the Shunammite 
woman who was so kind to Elisha. 

2 Kings 13 : 14-19 is an account of Elisha on his death-bed ; and 
the twentieth and twenty-first verses tell of a dead man who came to 
life upon being cast into Elisha 's sepulchre. 




JONAH AND THE GREAT FISH. 

Jonah. 

WE read in the Bible of a man named Jonah. He was a prophet 
of God that Tived about one hundred years before the downfall of the 
city of Samaria and the carrying away into captivity of the children 
of Israel who lived there. Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14: 25. 



264 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

God told him that he must go to Nineveh, the people of which 
were very wicked. The Lord told Jonah to go and warn them of their 
danger, that they might repent. God said he would destroy their 
city if they did not do this. 

Jonah did not want to go, and he did something that many little 
children have done when they did not care to do what their parents 
told them to do. Jonah ran away. 

He found a ship going to Tarshish ; so he paid his fare and went 
down into it, to get away from the presence of the Lord. 

How strange for a prophet to think he could run away from the 
Lord! God knew all about Jonah and just where he was hiding. 

After the ship had started, a great storm arose and blew the ship 
about so fiercely that it was about to go to pieces. The sailors were 
so frightened that they called upon their gods. Their goods were 
thrown overboard, and they did everything they could to lighten the 
ship. Still their danger kept on increasing. 

They cast lots to find for whose cause the storm had been sent 
upon them, and the lot fell upon Jonah, whom they had taken into 
their ship. Jonah was down in the hold; and he lay fast asleep. 

' ' So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest 
thou, sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think 
upon us, that we perish not. 

"And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast 
lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they 
cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 

"Then said they unto him. Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause 
this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest 
thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? 

"And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, 
the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 

"Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why 
hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence 
of the Lord, because he had told them. 

"Then said they unto him, Wliat shall we do unto thee, that the 







o 

a 

W 

02 

ft 

o 



266 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 

'^And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into 
the sea ; so shall the sea be calm unto you : for I know that for my sake 
this great tempest is upon you. 

'* Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but 
they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against 
them. 

'* Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said. We beseech thee, 
O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay 
not upon us innocent blood: for thou, Lord, hast done as it 
pleased thee. 

'^So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the 
sea ceased from her raging. 

**Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacri- 
fice unto the Lord, and made vows. 

'*Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. 
And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.*' 
Jonah 1:6-17. 

How much better it would have been for Jonah, had he obeyed 

the Lord at first. 

Jonah was inside this great fish three days and three nights. 
While there he prayed earnestly to the Lord. He cried for help and 
asked God to forgive his sins, and he promised to obey the Lord in the 
future. He said, **I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanks- 
giving ; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. ' ^ 

Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon 

the dry ground. 

Once again the Lord said to Jonah, ^* Arise, go unto Nineveh, 

that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.'' 
This time Jonah went. The journey to Nineveh was about five 

hundred miles. He told the people that in forty days Nineveh would 

be overthrown. 

When the people heard this, they were sorry for their sins. The 

king of Nineveh proclaimed a fast and told every one to pray. He 

also said that no animal, herd, or flock should eat anything. **Who 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 267 

can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce 
anger, tliat we perish not? 

'*And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; 
and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto 
them; and he did it not.'' Jonah 3: 9, 10. 

But this did not please Jonah. He knew that the people of 
Nineveh were not friends to the Jews, and, then, he was not humble 
enough to have the people laugh at him and say that his words did 
not come true. 

Again Jonah acted as some children do when things do not go 
their way: he went away to pout. He even said he wished he could 
die. This shows how unhappy people can be when they are not humble 
and willing for God to have his own way with them. 

Jonah went out of the city and sat down, and waited to see if his 
words would come true. God must have pitied him; for he caused a 
gourd vine to grow up quickly and shield him from the hot sun. 

Jonah was glad when he saw the gourd. But the next day God 
prepared a worm to gnaw the root of the vine, and it soon dried up. 

When the sun arose, God sent a hot wind, and the sun beat on 
Jonah's head. The heat soon made him very sick, and he fainted. 
Then Jonah said, *^It is better for me to die than to live." 

Oh, what tender mercy the Lord has! He said to Jonah, ''Doest 
thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be 
angry, even unto death. Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on 
the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow ; 
which came up in a night, and perished in a night: and should not I 
spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand 
persons that can not discern between their right hand and their left 
hand ; and also much cattle ? ' ' Jonah 4 : 9-11. 

Job. 

IN the land of Uz was a man named Job. He is supposed to 
have been king of Edom about the time the children of Israel left 
Egypt 



268 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Job was a ver}^ good man and loved God with all his heart. He 

was very rich, and had everything any one could wish to make him 

happy. 

The Lord loved him, because he saw that he tried to do right ; and 

he gave him seven sons and three daughters. 

When his children were old enough to have homes of their own, 

they made feasts. Then they would meet together and have merry 

times. 

Job kept reminding them of their duty toward God and would 

offer sacrifices for them ; for Job said, * * It may be that my sons have 

sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.'^ 

But there was a time when a great change came over Job. He 
lost all his wealth, his children, and everything he had. This happened 
to him as a test, to see if he would still be true to God if he was poor. 
In all this Job did not complain. 

Then a dreadful disease came on him. This disease, like as do 
many others, came directly from Satan. ' * So went Satan forth, . . . 
and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 
And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat 
down among the ashes.'' Job 2: 7, 8. 

We see that the disease did not come from above, from God. **Do 

not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift 

is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." Jas. 

1 : 16, 17. 

Because of these boils Job began to suffer very much. While he 

was suffering his wife came and said, ^^Dost thou still trust God? Do 
so no more. Curse God and die." But Job told her she spoke as a 
foolish woman. He said they had received much good from the Lord 
in the past, now they must not find fault with God if evil came upon 
them. In all this, Job did not commit sin or do anything to dis- 
please God. 

Job had three friends, who heard of his trouble and came to see 

him one day. When they saw him from a distance, such a change 
had come over Job that they did not know him. They rent their 
clothes and wept. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 269 

These friends thought that Job *s trouble had been brought upon 
him for some great sin he had done. 

They did not speak to him for a long time. When they did, they 
told him if he had done wrong, to confess it to God and promise never 
to do so again; then God would free him from his pains. 

Job knew he had always tried to live as he should, and these 
words only made him suffer more. He told them if they were in such 
trouble as he was, he also could say many hard things about them; 
but that he would say only words of comfort, and try to make their 
grief less. 

Job was in such pain that he could not get any rest. If he fell 
asleep, he would have such terrible dreams. Then life became a 
burden, and he was sorry he had ever been bom. 

His friends, instead of encouraging him and telling him to seek 
strength from God, did and said much to discourage him, and weaken 
his faith in God. 

At last Job could stand no more, and he began to complain of their 
way of treating him, but they continued to find fault with him. 

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind. He was 
reminded of the many things God had done— that he had created the 
earth, and caused the grass and flowers to grow; that he made the 
clouds and caused the rain to fall ; of the heat and cold and the many 
other wonderful things he had done. 

The Lord asked if Job was able to do any of these wonders, or 
if he were able to teach God how to do them. 

•'Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst 
do everything, and that no thought can be withheld from thee. . . . 
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth 
thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.'' Then 
God said to one of Job's three friends that he was angry with them, 
for they had not spoken that which was right to his sei^ant Job. 

God said they must offer a burnt saciifice for themselves and 
have Job pray for them, or they should be punished. And Job prayed, 
and they were forgiven. 



270 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

'*Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.'* **So 
the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.-' 

Kin^ HezekiaK. 

AFTER the death of Elisha the people of Israel continued to 
grow more and more wicked. God raised np other prophets, who 
warned them of their danger; but they would not repent, and live as 
God wanted them to. 

At last God determined to send a great punishment to all the 
people of Israel. You shall hear what it was. 

There was a king in the country of Assyria, who was very rich. 
He had many soldiers under him, who were brave and strong. But 
this king was a heathen and knew nothing of God. 

This king came, with his great army of men, into the land of 
Canaan. They fought against the people and conquered them. They 
got into all their towns, and took the people of Israel away to be their 
slaves. How unhappy the people of Israel must have been to be taken 
away from their homes and forced to go a long way off and work 
very hard! 

This was the punishment God sent them at last because they would 
worship idols and do so many wicked things. They were never per- 
mitted to come into their own country again, but heathen people came 
and lived there. 

You remember it was on account of worshiping idols that God was 
angry with King Solomon. And for this reason God said that Solomon 's 
son Eehoboam should be king over only part of Canaan. What God 
said came true. Jeroboam, Solomon's servant, took away a great deal 
of the land from Rehoboam. Jeroboam was called the king of Israel, 
and Solomon's son was called the king of Judah. 

Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, where the beautiful temple was, 
which his father, Solomon, had made. But Jeroboam lived in the 
other part of the land. Rehoboam and the people living in Jerusalem 
were called Jews, and the rest of the people were known as Israel. 




HEZEKIAfl LAYING THE LETTER BEFORE GOD. 



272 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

\ There were many kings, both of the Jews and of Israel; but God 
remembered his promise to King David. You can find it in 2 Sam. 
7:12-16. 

When Rehoboam, Solomon's son, died, his son became king of the 
Jews; and when he died, his son was king— and so on one generation 
after another. Some of these kings were good, and some were very 
wicked. 

At last there was a good king, called Hezekiah. He was the 
thirteenth king of Judah, and he lived at Jerusalem. Hezekiah loved 
to worship God in the temple. He persuaded a great many people to 
come and worship there with him, and destroyed the images and idols 
which they had been worshiping. Among these was the brazen serpent 
which Moses made in the wilderness. It had been carefully kept until 

this time as a precious relic and was among their idols. 

These acts of Hezekiah pleased the Lord very much, and you shall 
hear what care God took of him. 

The king of Assyria had taken away the people of Israel and 
made them his slaves. Would the Jews be taken also? Everything 
seemed to say, '^Yes," but hear what God did. 

The heathen king did not think of defeat. He brought his great 
army, and they pitched their tents around Jerusalem and tried to get 
inside. 

The Jews shut the gates fast; still they were afraid the soldiers 
would get inside at last. But Hezekiah knew that God would keep the 
Jews from getting hurt. He said, ^*Be strong and courageous; be not 
afraid for the king of Assyria, nor the multitude that is with him. 
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help 
us, and to fight our battles.'' Then the Jews were encouraged. 

The people of Assyria spoke many wicked words against God and 
even wrote letters. In these letters the king said the Jews must give 
the city of Jerusalem up to them, for God would not save them. He 
said the gods of other nations had not been able to save them. But 
this time the wicked king was deceived. He knew there was no strength 
in the gods of other nations, but he did not know about Hezekiah 's God. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 273 

It made Hezekiah; very sad when he read the letter and heard 
their evil words. He went into the temple and spread the letter before 
the Lord and then began to pray. He said, ' ' Lord, thou art the God. 
Thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down thine ear and 
hear. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the 
nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire : for they 
were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore 
they have destroyed them. Now therefore, Lord, save thou us out 
of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art 
the Lord God, even thou only. " 

God heard Hezekiah 's prayer. He sent Isaiah the prophet to say 
concerning the king of Assyria: ''He shall not come into this city, 
nor shoot an aiTow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a 
bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, 
saith the Lord. For I will save this city, for my servant David's sake." 

That night God sent an angel, who destroyed many of the 
Assyrians. He did not kill them all, but the rest were so frightened 
that they went back to their homes. Thus God saved Hezekiah, king 
of Judah, and all the Jews from being destroyed. 

jf. j£, jz, jf. 4f. ^ Ji, Ji ^ J/. 4^ ^ .)U ^S- Jfe 
•Jr ^? •?¥• ^ w •J5* •n* "TE* tv" tt w "Ti" -n* tv* '75' 

HezekiaH Is Healed. 

HOW kind God was to King Hezekiah ! Surely he was encouraged 

to trust the Lord. 

He taught the people to worship God in the right way and took 

David for his great model. They met in the temple, which had been 

cleansed from all its idols, and they sang the beautiful psalms of 

David with gladness in their hearts. Then they bowed their heads arid 

worshiped God. 

And Hezekiah taught them the wise sayings of Solomon, and it 

was said of Hezekiah that there was none like him among all the kings 

of Judah after him, nor any that were before him. 

When he had been king of Judah about fourteen years, he wa,s 

taken very sick. One day the prophet Isaiah came to him and sai^, 

''Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live." 

18 



274 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed. He told 
the Lord to remember how he had lived, and that he had always tried 
to do what was right in God's sight; and then Hezekiah wept. 

The Lord heard Hezekiah 's prayer, and told Isaiah, who had not 
yet left the palace, to return and sa}', ''I have heard thy prayer, I have 
seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go 
up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen 
years. ' ' 

Hezekiah was very happy when he heard this, but felt that he 
should like to have a sign, that he might know God would heal him; 
and God said he would give him a sign. 2 Kings 20 : 9. 

In those days they did not have clocks, such as we have. They 
told the time of day by the shadow of the sun falling upon some 
object or dial. It would be an easy matter to alter the time of the 
day denoted by our clock, for we could turn the hands backward, or 
forward; but the sun could not be moved in this way. 

So when Hezekiah heard that God would move the shadow of the 
sun either backward or forward, ten degrees, as a sign that he should 
be healed, he said to move it backward, and God did so. 

And Hezekiah was healed as God said he would be. 

King Hezekiah 's healing was so wonderful that the heathen 
nations heard of it, and wondered at it. At one time the king of 
Babylon sent letters and beautiful presents to Hezekiah. The men 
who brought the letters and presents desired to see inside the temple, 
for they had heard of the costly treasures there. 

Although Hezekiah knew that all he had, had been given him, only 
through God's great mercy, yet his heart was lifted up with the praise, 
and he did not give God all the glory. 

For this cause God sent Isaiah to him once more. This time he 
came with a reproof. Isaiah asked him what things he had shown to 
the men sent by the king of Babylon, and Hezekiah said, ''All the 
things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among 
my treasures that I have not showed them. 

''And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 275 

Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which 
thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into 
Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.'' 2 Kings 20:16,17. 
Hezekiah was very sorry for having grieved the Lord; and 
because he was so sorry, God said this trouble should not come upon 
the people of Judah while he lived. 

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Jerusalem Is Captured* 

AT last the time came for Hezekiah to die. After his death there 
were many kings over Judah. Most of them were very wicked, and 
all the good Hezekiah had done in destroying the idols was undone 
by their evil ways. And again the people were worshiping idols. 
God sent prophets to tell them that the dreadful things Isaiah had 
prophesied, were going to happen ; but the people would not listen, and 
punished the prophets for saying such things. 

Once more a heathen king came, with all his army of brave 
soldiers, and loitched their tents around the city of Jerusalem. But 
this time it was the king of Babylon, that brave and strong man 
Nebuchadnezzar. 

Now was the beginning of many sorrows. Nebuchadnezzar and 
his men broke down the strong walls around Jerusalem. This might 
have been done many times before but then God took care of them and 
fought their battles. Now they had sliglited God so much that he left 
them to meet their enemy alone. 

It did not take the soldiers long to destroy the fine houses, and 
they took away many of the treasures to put in the house of their idols. 
They took all the brave and strong men to be their slaves, but left the 
poorer people there. Over these poor people Nebuchadnezzar placed 
Gedaliah as governor. 

How unhappy the people who were taken captive nmst have been ! 

Still, they hoped that some day soon they would return home again. 

There was a king of Judah named Zedekiah, and Nebuchadnezzar 

had confidence in him and thought he was a good man. But Zedekiah 



276 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

deceived Nebuchadnezzar by making him think he was willing to 
remain in bondage. He then went to the king of Egypt and asked 
him to help the Jews fight against the people of Babylon. 

When Nebuchadnezzar heard what Zedekiah had done, he was 
very angry. He took a large army; and although the king of Egypt 
helped the Jews, the people of Babylon overcame them all. 

Then they either destroyed or took away every article that was of 
any value in Jerusalem, and took many more of the people captive. 
Besides all this, they utterly destroyed the walls around Jerusalem, 
and the beautiful temple Solomon had built. 

Only the very poorest of the Jews were left and they without any 
homes. Gedaliah, their governor, tried to be very kind to them, and 
told them not to be afraid; but one night he was killed, and then they 
fled in terror to Eg^^Dt. 

Nebuchadnezzar was ver^^ angry with Zedekiah for the way he had 
done. He killed his sons; and this was the last sight Zedekiah saw, 
for both of his eyes were put out. Then he was taken back to Babylon, 
and put in prison until he died. 

For the first time, the Jews realized what their sins had brought 
them to. They would not listen to the good old prophets' warnings 
in the past to turn from their idols. Now they were forced to see their 
words were true. 

In their sorrow they sat down beside the rivers of Babylon and 
wept. They could not sing psalms as they used to do, but they hanged 
their harps upon the willow-trees that grew beside the water. 

Why did God let this happen to his people! It was because they 
would not love and obey him and turn from their idols. 

You see how hard it was for them to keep from idol-worship. It 
is just the same to-day. We may have an idol much more foolish 
than some of theirs were. It may be in tlie form of a new dress, a hat, 
a doll, or a bird; but if we love it so much that our minds are upon 
it continually, it becomes our idol, and we are worshiping it. see 
that you love the Lord more than any other object! then you need not 
be afraid of any idols setting themselves up in your hearts. 



278 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



JeremiaH's PropKecy; or. Story of tKe Fig^s. 

AT one time Jeremiah had a vision. He saw two baskets filled 
with figs. One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are 
first ripe: and the other basket had bad figs, which could not be eaten, 
they were so bad. 

Then the Lord said: '^Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge 
them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out 
of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will 
set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this 
land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant 
them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart to know 
me, that I am the Lord.'' 

And the evil figs were compared to Zedekiah and his sad end. 

So you see from this little story of the figs that there were some 
very good people, as well as bad, carried away from. Jerusalem. 

Among these good people were four young men. Their names 
were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These four men 
Nebuchadnezzar chose to have with him in his court, as they were 
very wise. And he changed their names to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abednego. He appointed them a daily portion of the 
king's meat and of the wine which he drank, and ordered that they 
be taught in all the wisdom of the land. 

When Daniel heard this, he purposed in his heart that he would 
not do anything to displease the Lord. So when the rich food and 
wine was brought to him, he requested the steward to let him and his 
brethren eat vegetables and have water to drink. 

The steward did not like to do this, for fear they would not look 
as well as the rest of the young men of their sort; but he loved Daniel 
and wanted to please him. Daniel said to let them eat this simple 
food for ten days, and if they did not look better at the end of that 
time than those who ate the king's fare, then they would say no more. 

The steward consented to this, and at the end of ten days they 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 279 

looked so much better than those who had eaten the king^s meat that 
they were allowed to eat what they chose. 

God gave these young men much wisdom and understanding. And 
Daniel could understand all visions and dreams. Nebuchadnezzar 
found that their wisdom far exceeded that of all the wise men in 
Babylon. 

• ■» 

Daniel Interprets tKe Kings's Dream. 

ONE night the king had a dream; and when he awoke, he had 
forgotten what it was. But the dream troubled him. He could 
not sleep. 

He wished so much to know the meaning of the dream that he 
called all the wise men in the land and said they must either tell him 
the dream and what it meant, or die. This was a very rash thing for 
the king to do, but he felt that he must know about the dream. 

The men said they could not tell the king what his dream meant 
without first knowing the dream. They said he must tell the dream, 
or they could not interpret it. This made the king angry, and he 
ordered that all the wise men of Babylon should be slain. 

When it was seen that the king was in earnest, the captain of the 
king's guard went to gather the wise men together. This included 
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 

When Daniel heard that they were to be killed, he went to the king 
and asked that they might have a little time. For Daniel said that 
he would make known, the interpretation of the dream. 

The king consented, and that night the secret was revealed to 
Daniel. Oh, how happy Daniel was! He did not become exalted and 
take the praise to himself. No, he said, "Blessed be the name of 
God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his. I thank thee, 
and praise thee, thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom 
and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of 
thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter. '^ 



■280 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

When Daniel went in before the king, he told him that the matter 
which the wise men could not reveal had been made known unto him 
by the God in heaven. 

The dream was very strange, and also the interpretation. 
'■ The king was so overcome that he fell upon his face and worshiped 
Daniel. And Nebuchadnezzar said, ' ' Of a truth it is, that your God is 
a God of gods, and a Lord of kings. " 

"Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many 
great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon." 

Then Daniel requested the king, and he made his three brethren 
judges over the affairs of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the king's gate, 

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THe Fiery Ftirnace. 

ONE time Nebuchadnezzar made a very large image out of gold. 
It took a great deal of labor to make it, and it was higher than a very 
tall tree. It was placed out of doors, and the king sent for all the 
great and rich people to come and see it. And he said all the captains, 
governors, and judges must be there. 

Now Nebuchadnezzar had made judges of the three young men 
that were with Daniel, and they were obliged to come and see the 
Igolden image. 

When all the people were gathered around the image, a man cried, 
yO people, when the music begins, you must all fall down and worship 
the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar has set up.'' And the man 
said that whoever would not fall down and worship should be cast into 
a burning fiery furnace. This was a place like a large oven full of 
fire. What a terrible threat! 

At the appointed time the music began, and the people fell down 
before the image and worshiped it— that is, all except Shadrach, 
Meshach and Abednego. 

Then some men came to Nebuchadnezzar and said, "0 king, live 
forever. ' ' And then they asked if he did not say that whoever would 




FOUR BRAVE BOYS. 



282 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

not fall down and worship the image should be cast into the fiery 
furnace. Then they told him that there were three Jews who had not 
done this. 

It made Nebuchadnezzar very angry not to be obeyed, and so 
called these men and said, ^'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image 
which I have set upf' Nebuchadnezzar said he would give them one 
more chance, and then if they still refused to worship the image, they 
must be cast into the furnace. 

But they answered, '^If it be so, our God whom we serve is able 
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out 
of thine hand, king. But if not, be it known unto thee, king, that 
we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou 
hast set up.'' 

Oh, how angry this made Nebuchadnezzar! His face grew dark 
with rage, and he commanded his men to heat the furnace seven times 
more than they usually did. The young men were then bound and 
thrown into the fire. 

The heat was so great that those who threw the men into the 
furnace died before they could get away ; but the three young men fell 
down into the midst of the fire. 

Then as the king was watching to see them burn up, he rose sudden- 
ly and asked, ''Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the 
fire?" They answered, ''True, king." But he said, "Lo, I see four 
men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and 
the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." 

Then Nebuchadnezzar went to the mouth of the furnace and called, 
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high 
God, come forth, and come hither." And they came forth out of 
the fire. 

"And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's coun 
sellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies 
the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither 
were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 283^ 

**Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and 
delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king '6 
word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship 
any god, except their own God. 

*^ Therefore I make a decree. That every people, nation, and 
language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach^. 
Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall 
be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver 
after this sort. 

''Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in- 
the province of Babylon.^' Dan. 3:27-30. 

W ^ TP flP TP ^ ^ TP ^ ^ TP TP TP TP 



Four Brave Boy's.. 

Here we have a story, children, 
That will make you glad I know; 

For it shows how God rewardeth 
All who trust him here below. 

'Tis about a land of beauty, 

Which was filled with wondrous wealth, 
And four boys held there in bondage, 

Sturdy lads in bloom of health. 

From their homes these lads were taken. 
E'en from Canaan's land so fair, 

And their home town was in ashes— 
Oh, how hard it was to bear! 

But these boys were lads of courage. 
All had hearts both brave and true, 

And they loved the God of heaven. 
Yes, and their God loved them, too. 



:^84 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Ev'ry day they prayed in worship, 
Hoping for the time to come 

When they could return to Canaan, 
Their much longed-for happy home. 

Now, this land where they'd been taken, 
And which held such wealth and power. 

Where the heathen king sat stately, 
There beneath his steepled tow'r, 

Was none other than Chaldea, 
And this city Babylon great. 

Where the brave king Nebuchadnezzar 
Sat and ruled in royal state. 

And the boys were Hebrew children; 

I will introduce them so 
You will know: 'twas Daniel, Mechach, 

Shadrach, and Abednego. 

Daniel was most highly favored, 
For God helped him to reveal 

Dreams and visions that were hidden; 
But no pride did Daniel feel. 

Daniel was one day brought quickly, 
Told to stand before the throne 

And reveal a dream forgotten. 
Also make its meaning known. 

Just imagine what a moment, 
Knowing if he could not tell, 

Then his life would soon be taken. 
With the wise men's there as well. 

Well, that night God came to Daniel 
And the strange dream there made kno\vn. 

And revealed its Avondrous meaning 
For the king upon the throne. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 265 

In the morning Daniel hurried 

To the king and told him all; 
Later he advised him hasten 

All his wrong deeds to recall. 

When the king heard Daniel's wisdom 

And he knew from whence it came, 
He was filled with awe and wonder, 

And made Daniel one of fame. 

And he said, "Make Daniel ruler 

Of the people and the land, 
For none other here in Babylon 

Can such deep things understand." 

And the king permitted Daniel 

To promote his three friends, too ; 
So he made them rule as judges, 

But to their God they were true. 

Later on the king of Babylon 

Made an image out of gold, 
xlnd he set it up, commanding 

Worship from both young and old. 

And a herald cried, "0 people, 

When the music you do hear, 
You must fall before this image, 

There to worship it in fear." 

Thus it was the three brave children 

Daniel placed as rulers there 
Now were forced to gather quickly 

To take part in this affair. 

They each heard the danger threatened 

If the king's law they'd refuse; 
But their hearts were full of courage, 

Thev would not the wrong way choose. 



^86 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Even though the fiery furnace 
Now was open to their view, 

They stood bravely there and answered, 
**This thing we will never do. 

"If it be that we are punished 
By thy hand this day, king, 

We do know our God is able 

From this furnace ns to bring." 

Then the king in dreadful anger 
Made this wild and stern demand. 

That they heat the furnace hotter 
And fulfil his fierce command. 

This was done: these Hebrew children 
i In the furnace there were thrown ; 

But theii* God came fo their rescue, 
Tliey were not loft there alone. 

When the king looked in the furnace. 
He beheld a wondrous sight; 

For he saw the Hebrew children 
Walking there with faces bright. 

Then he said to them, "Come hither," 
And he looked their bodies o'er; 

But he saw they were not injured, 
Were just as they'd been before. 

Oh, what w^onder filled this heathen! 

And what awe he must have felt 
As he viewed these Hebrew children 

With whom he'd so harshly dealt! 

That great image was forgotten 

When he saw God's strength and powV, 

And he said that ev'ry nation 

God must worsliip from that hour. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 287 

Once again a king was reigning 

In that far-off heathen land, 
One who knew and honored Daniel 

And his views and godly stand. 

Now, this king had signed a writing 

Gotten up by evil men 
Who had jealous hearts t'ward Daniel, 

But he did not know it then. 

In this writing it was stated 

That the people ev'ry where 
Must of none there ask a favor. 

Only of the king, through prayer. 

But brave Daniel never faltered; 

Op'ning up his windows wide, 
Prayed to God, and eager listeners 

Quickly heard him from outside. 

Now the writing also stated, 

Ev'ry one who'd disobey 
Must be thrown in to the lions 

As a punishment that day. 

When the news was brought of Daniel, 

How to God that day he'd prayed, 
Then the king could see his error. 

And he would the wrong have stayed. 

But in this he failed; so Daniel 

To the lions' den was brought. 
Where those evil men were waiting 

For the one whose life they sought. 

All that night the king was troubled, 

As he thought of Daniel's fate; 
Could it be that God would save him? 

Ah ! this king could scarcely wait. 



288 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



In the moruing very early 
All alone this king we find, 

Calling loudly unto Daniel, 
To relieve his troubled mind. 

Daniel answered, "Yes, an angel 
God hath sent to stay with me; 

For no wrong had I committed, 
Either 'gainst my God or thee." 

Daniel then the king delivered. 
But his enemies who'd dared 

Plan this cruel way to slay him 
Very soon their own plot shared. 

There no angel came to help them 
In this hungry lion's den; 

So the lions soon devoured 

Flesh and bones of these vile men. 

But the God whom Daniel worshiped 
Then this king said all must fear, 

And at once sent forth a writing 
To all people far and near. 

Children dear, it pays to worship 

And obey the living God, 
Even though we for the moment 

May receive the chast'ning rod. 



Like the four brave Hebrew children, 
Let your courage never fail; 

God will help in ev'ry battle, 
In his strength yon oan prevail. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 289 

THe Proud King NebticHadnezzar Is Htimbled. 

YOU have read of the dream which Nebuchadnezzar had, and that, 
when he had forgotten it, Daniel told him all the dream, and also the 
interpretation thereof. Once again the king had a dream. After the 
wise men of Babylon could not interpret the dream, Daniel came in. 

Now Nebuchadnezzar thought so much of Daniel that he named 
him Belteshazzar for one of his idols. When Daniel came, the king 
said, ''O Belteshazzar, I know that no secret is withheld from thee; 
therefore tell me the visions of my dream and the interpretation 
thereof. ' ' 

This was the dream: Nebuchadnezzar saw a great, tall tree, which 
was very beautiful. It was so large that the beasts of the field were 
sheltered by its shadow, and the fowls of the air lodged in its branches. 
Soon he saw a holy one come down from heaven, who cried, *^Hew 
down the tree, cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter 
his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his 
bran<ihes. But leave the stump of the tree in the earth." 

This was not all of the dream, but the rest is hard to understand, 
and we will pass on to the interpretation. 

Daniel was sorry when he heard the dream, for he and the king 
had become real friends ; but he was true to Nebuchadnezzar, and told 
him just what it all meant. It was this : Nebuchadnezzar was the tree. 
And as the branches and leaves were taken away from the tree, leaving 
only the stump in the earth; just so the kingdom and riches would all 
be taken away from Nebuchadnezzar. God would leave him upon the 
earth, but his reason should leave him and he should wander about and 
eat grass with the beasts of the field. 

All this was to happen because Nebuchadnezzar was so proud, and 
would not turn from his sinful ways. Daniel begged him to give his 
heart to God, but he would not. 

So at the end of twelve months he was walking in the palace, and 
as he saw the beautiful hanging gardens and all the riches of his king- 
dom, he said it had all been gained because he was so great. 

19 



290 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

But ^^ while the word was still in his mouth, there fell a voice from 
heaven, saying, King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The 
kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, 
and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field : they shall make 
thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until 
thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and 
givetli it to whomsoever he will." 

The thing happened that same hour, and in this state he remained 
until '^his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like 
birds' claws." The meaning of this must be that Nebuchadnezzar went 
insane and imagined himself to be some wild animal eating grass. 
However it was, it was a dreadful punishment. 

At the end of seven years his reason returned, and the first thing 
he did was to praise and honor God. And his kingdom was given back 
to him, with even greater riches. ; : 

Thus the great, proud king was humbled; and God will humble 
all who are proud in heart. God deserves air the praise for what we 
have and are. 

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TKe Strange Writing; on tHe Wall, 

' AT last Nebuchadnezzar died, and his grandson Belshazzar was 
king. This new king was quite like his grandfather, for he was proud 
and worshiped idols. 

• One day Belshazzar made a great feast and invited all his princes 
and lords to it. They had wine at the feast; and as Belshazzar drank 
of it, he remembered the beautiful gold and silver cups that his grand- 
father had taken away from the temple at Jerusalem and brought to 
Babylon. 

He then commanded that these be brought, that his company and 
wives (for he had many wives) might drink out of them. The cups 
were soon brought; and as they drank wine from them, they praised 
their gods that were made of gold, of silver; of brass, of iron, of wood, 
and of stone. 







C 

I— I 

I— I 



292 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

While they were drinking, the king saw the fingers of a man's 
hand writing on the wall of the palace. It was near the place where 
the candlestick stood, so that they could see plainly; but no one could 
read the writing, or see anything except the fingers of the hand that 
was doing the writing. 

The king did not look merrj^ any longer, but was frightened, and 
trembled so that his knees knocked against each other. 

Belshazzar then called for the wise men and told them to hasten 
and read the writing for him. He said that whoever would read it 
should be clothed in a scarlet robe and have a chain of gold about his 
neck^ and he should be the third ruler in the land. 

Although the king made such great offers, none of the wise men 
were able to read the words upon the wall. These are the words that 
Belshazzar saw: *'Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." The king became 
more and more frightened when he saw that none of the men could read 
them; for he was afraid they meant that something dreadful was 
about to happen. 

The queen was not present at the feast; but she heard of the 
strange writing on the wall and also that no one could read it. Then 
she remembered Daniel, who had interpreted so many things for Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and hastened in to tell the king. 

Daniel had grown to be an old man, and since the death of Nebu- 
chadnezzar had almost been forgotten. But as soon as Belshazzar 
sent for him, he came. 

And Daniel said, ''Keep thy gifts, O king; yet I will read the 
writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation." 

Then Daniel told the king of Nebuchadnezzar's heart being lifted 
up with pride; of his hardening his heart against God until God took 
his glory from him; and of his heart being made like the beasts until 
he knew the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he 
made whomsoever he would king. "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, 
hast not humbled tbine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast 
set thyself up against tbe Lord of heaven, and hast even drunk from 
the cups taken from his house. ' ' And Daniel told him that the writing 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 293 

on the wall meant that his reign as king was at an end. When Daniel 
had told what the words upon the wall meant, Belshazzar commanded 
his men to clothe him in red and put a gold chain on his neck, and to 
make it known that he was to be third in rank from the king. 

That same night Belshazzar was slain, and Daniel took his place 
upon the throne. 

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Daniel in tKe Den of I^ions. 

AFTER Belshazzar 's death tliere was a king named Darius. He 
was proud like the other kings had been. He was a heathen, too, and 
worshiped idols ; but he liked Daniel. He even made Daniel ruler over 
the princes and judges in the land, and told them to do as Daniel said. 

This made these men hate Daniel, and they tried in every way they 
could to find out something against him, so that they could tell the king. 

But Daniel was a good man in every way, and these wicked men 
could not get him into disgrace. They never saw Daniel do an^'-thing 
wrong. 

At last they thought of a way to get Daniel into trouble without 
telling lies about him. It would not have hurt their conscience to tell 
lies; but they feared the king would not believe, and then they might 
be found out. 

Daniel loved God very much and he used to tell him so and thank 
him for his goodness three times every day. Now these evil men knew 
this; so they went to the king and asked him to make a law that no one 
should pray to any god or man, except to the king liimself, for a whole 
month, and that if any person did pray to any one else, he should be 
cast into the den of lions. 

The king, being so proud, was pleased to do this; but he saw his 
mistake when it was too late. He did not remember that Daniel 
prayed three times a day, or he would not have made this law; but now 
it was made and signed, and he could not change it. 

Did the thing which the king had done make Daniel afraid to 



294 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

pray? All no! He went as lie had always done and prayed three 
times a day with his window wide open toward Jerusalem. 

He could not see Jerusalem ; but he knew which way it was from 
his room, and that God loved the city and used to come down into the 
temple before it was destroyed. So Daniel liked to look that way 
when he prayed. 

Daniel was not afraid to have the people hear him pray; and so 
when these evil men came and listened, they heard Daniel praying 
to God. 

The men hurried to tell the king that Daniel had not paid any 
attention to the law, but prayed three times every day. 

When the king heard their words, he was very sorry he had made 
the law. He even tried all the rest of the day to find some way to 
deliver him. But when the king saw there was no way to help Daniel, 
he tried to encourage him. 

The lions' den was a deep place underneath the ground. When 
they put Daniel into this place, the king said, "Thy God whom thou 
servest continually, ne will deliver thee.'' Darius must have heard 
how the three young men were delivered from the fiery furnace. Then 
a stone was brought and placed at the mouth of the den, and the king 
sealed it with his seal. 

The king was very unhappy that night. He did not eat, and could 
not sleep. He was thinking about Daniel, and longing for the morning 
to come. Then he would go and release him, for he expected to find 
Daniel alive. 

So very earl}^ the next morning he arose and hastened to the den. 
When he came near the place, he cried out in a very sad voice, "0 
Daniel, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver 
thee from the lions T' 

What joy must have filled the poor heathen king's heart when he 
heard Daniel's o^m voice saying, "0 king, live forever. My God hath 
sent his angel, and hath shut the lions ' mouths, that they have not hurt 
me; because I had done nothing wrong." 

How glad the king was then ! He commanded the men to take 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK, 295 

Daniel up out of the den, and they found that he was not hurt at all 
because God had protected him. 

The king was very angry with the men who had asked him to put 
Daniel into the lions ' den, and he had them brought before him. Then 
they and their wives and children were thrown into the den, and the 
lions broke their bones in pieces before they touched the ground. This 
was very cruel. 

Then King Darius wrote letters and sent them to all the countries, 
saying that every one in every dominion of his kingdom should fear 
the God of Daniel ; for he was the true God, who could do wonders, and 
who had saved Daniel from the lions. 

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SometKiii^ about Babylon. o[jj 

BEFOEE we go any further, let us have a little talk about the 
Jews, their captivity, the city of Babylon, to which they were taken 
captive, and why God permitted the heathen kings to keep them as 
their slaves. 

When God first called Abram, he intended to make his children, 
who should follow him, a peculiar people; that is, they were to be 
different from every other nation in the world. God planned that 
they were to be stewards of the mysteries of God, meaning that he 
would perform many wonders through them. 

You have seen how unfaithful they were to God, and now you see 
what punishment their unfaithfulness brought upon them. But their 
unfaithfulness to God did not make his promises of no effect. No, 
indeed ; it was the other way. 

The Jews might have worked for God and have been very happy. 
Though they would not do this, yet God showed his power and might 
as their leader, but they were unhappy, miserable. 

But through all their unfaithfulness God was ever ready to help 
them when they called upon him. In this way the heathen nations 
were all made to see that the God of Israel was able to do anything. 



296 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

And when God showed his power in saving the three young men 
from the fiery furnace, and Daniel from the lions, it did not make the 
heathen people praise their gods. Instead of tliis, the great proud 
kings sent word to all nations to worship the most high God. So even 
their captivity brought ]n'aise and honor to God, even more than when 
they were living quietly at home: for then they were worshiping idols 
so much of the time. 

And now a few words about that great city Babylon. It was about 
fifty-six miles around the city, and the river Euphrates ran througl) 
it. All around tlie city's wall was a deep moat, or a ditch filled with 
water, outside of which was another very high wall with towers and 
watchmen upon it. Thus it w^as almost impossible to get inside the city. 
These great walls are almost entirely gone now; only a few mounds 
show where the gates were. 

The houses were nearly all made of brick, three and four stories 
high; and the streets w^ere ail sti'aight, the cross streets having beauti- 
ful gates of bronze at the river. 

One bridge is said to have been about three thousand feet long 
and thirty feet wide, all built of stone. This bridge connected two 
palaces on opposite sides of the river. 

There were three very high walls around the royal palace on the 
eastern side. The second and middle walls were made of colored 
brick, with pictures of hunting scenes upon them. And there was a 
tunnel under the river, through which they could pass from one palace 
to the other. 

Within this city and these palaces was everything any person 
could desire to make him* happy. All this was what Nebuchadnezzar 
saw, as he stood in his palace. But he said that all this wealth had 
been gained by his greatness. That was why God punished him and 
took his reason away, that he might know it was only through God 
he could do anything. 

The prophet Jeremiah said Babylon would be destroyed, and it 
was so. The night of Belshazzar's feast the course of the river was 
changed, and the Medes and Persians took Babylon. 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 



297 



God's people were in captivity about seventy years, as had been 
prophesied. At the end of this time there was a good king in Persia, 
known as Cyrus. 

God put it into the heart of this king to let the Jews return to 
their own land and rebuild the city of Jerusalem, which had been 
destroyed. 




:,, 11 DING OF THE NEW TEMPLE AT JERUSALKM. 



For Daniel had had some wonderful dreams and visions, revealing 
tO' him that God's time was near at hand for his temple to be rebuilt; 
and that some day not very far off God was going to send his own 
dear Son to be king over the Jews. They would not liave God as their 
king, but perhaps they would accept his Son. 

Cyrus was very kind to the Jews. Fie gave them not only the 



298 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

privilege of returning to their native land, but also the things they 
would need to build themselves new homes. And he was so interested 
in the rebuilding of the temple that he supplied the means to build it 
as nearly like the first had been as possible. 

The people went to work with a will and were very happy. Of 
course, there was much to discourage them, and it was many years 
before the temple was finished. They did not forget to keep the feast 
of the passover. 

Some of; the Jews did not return. They chose to stay where they 
were in bondage rather than go back to their own land and be free; 
but, of course, they knew there would be many hardships to meet, and 
they were not brave enough to meet them. 

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Queen VasKti Refuses to Obey tKe Kin^. 

PERHAPS you have forgotten that the kingdom of Israel was 
divided into two parts, but I hope not. The part that was still called 
Israel, you remember, was taken captive a long time before the Jews 
were taken. 

After the Jews returned to Jerusalem, some of the people in that 
country wanted to help them rebuild the city; but the Jews said, 
^^No." This made the people angry, and they became very bitter 
enemies of the Jews. Many years afterward, these people were known 
as the Samaritans. 

All the Jews, you will remember, did not go back when their 
brethren did. They made their homes in Persia and other countries. 

King Cyrus died and Darius was king in his stead ; then there wa& 
a king named Ahasuerus on the throne. 

After Ahasuerus had been king about three years, he made a great 
feast and invited all that were in the court of his palace, both great 
and small. They drank much wine at this feast from golden cups. 

Now, the queen's name was Vashti. She was a very beautiful 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 299 

woman. At the same time the king's feast was going on Vashti made 
a feast for the women. 

On the seventh day of this feast King Ahasuerus sent for the 
queen to come in before the men and to throw back her veil, that they 
might all see how fair she was. This Vashti refused to do, for she did 
not feel that it would be modest to do such a thing. 

The king was very angry because the queen refused to obey him, 
and he said to his wise men, ' ' What shall we do unto the Queen Vashti 
according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment 
of the king!" 

And the wise men said, '' Vashti hath done wrong to the king and 
to all the lords of the land; for when this is told and our wives hear 
what the queen hath done, they will not obey us. They will say, The 
king sent word for Vashti to be brought to him, and she came not. Let 
the king make a law and put Vashti away and choose a new queen, 
that all wives everywhere, may know that they must do as they are 
told." 

The king and all the lords thought these were wise words, and the 
king made it a law that a man should rule in his own house. And letters 
to this effect were sent to every part of his kingdom. 

Then some of the men came and said it would be a good plan to 
bring a number of fair maidens before the king, that he might choose 
one of them to be queen instead of Vashti. The king was pleased with 
this plan, and Vashti was not queen after that. 

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EstHer Becomes Queen. 

NOW in the palace there was a Jew, whose name was Mordecai. 
He was a poor man and was there to wait upon the king. This man 
had taken his uncle's daughter, who was an orphan, to raise as his 
own. Her name was Esther, and she was very beautiful. 

Esther soon became the favorite of all, and was given the best 
room in the house of the women. Seven maids were given Esther, and 



300 



BEAUTIFUL STORIES 



;she had everything she desired. But no one knew she was a Jew, for 
Mordecai had told her it would be best not to tell wlio were her people. 
Every day Mordecai came to see how Esther was and what would 
become of her. But it took a whole year before they could know who 
would be chosen queen instead of Vashti. 




ESTIiEJl, Tiir: BEAUTIPUl. QUEEN. 



At last the time came. When the king saw Esther, he loved her 
-and set the crown upon her head and made her queen. 

Then the king made a great feast, and gave gifts unto the people 
•of his provinces. 

One day two men were angry with the king; and tiiese men 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK. 301 

planned to kill him. Mordecai heard their plan and told Esther to 
tell the king, which she did. Both of the wicked men were hanged^ 
and it was written in a big book that Mordecai had saved the 
king's life. 

In the same book were written all the things that happened in the 
king's realm. 

There was a man in the king's palace whose name was Haman. 
He was a wicked man, but he held a high office in the king's house. 
And he made every one who was of low rank bow down to him. But 
there was one man who would not bow down. It was Mordecai 
the elew. 

Now the people knew Mordecai was a Jew, though they did not 
know about Esther. So when men came to Haman and told him that 
Mordecai would not bow down to him, he was angry and tried to find 
some way to kill him. He scorned the thought of taking the life of 
Mordecai only, for he was informed that Mordecai was a Jew, and he 
sought to destroy all the Jews who had remained in the land. 

''And Haman said unto King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people 
scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces 
of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither 
keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to 
suffer them. 

''If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed; 
and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that 
have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. 
Esther 3:8,9. 

The king said to Haman, "Do to them as it seemeth good to thee." 

Then the king had it written in the great book, that every one 
should destroy, kill, and cause to perish all the Jews found in the 
land, and to take all that belonged to the Jews as their own property. 
And the king sent out letters for all to be ready at a certain time to 
destroy the Jews. 



302 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

W^icked Haman. 

WHEN Mordecai knew of the plot which had been laid to kill the 
Jews, he was very sorry. He would eat no food, and '^he put on sack- 
cloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried 
with a loud and a bitter cry." All the Jews were in great distress 
over the matter. 

At last Mordecai came near the king's gate. Then Esther heard, 
through her maids and servants, that Mordecai was in great trouble. 
She sent clothing for Mordecai to wear instead of the sackcloth he was 
wearing on account of his sorrow, but he refused to receive the 
clothing. Then Esther sent Hatach, a servant, to ask Mordecai why 
he was so sad. He told Hatach to tell her what was going to happen 
to the Jews. And Mordecai said that Esther must go to the king and 
urge him to be favorable to the Jews. 

At first Esther did not want to do this ; for she knew there was a 
law that if any came into the king's presence without having been 
sent for, they were in danger of being killed. But Mordecai told her 
that it would soon be found out that she was a Jew, and then she would 
be killed anyway; and said that perhaps it was for the purpose of 
delivering her people that God had let her become queen. 

Esther did not wait any longer then. She sent word back that 
all the Jews in that place must fast and pray for her three days and 
three nights; that she and her maids would also fast; and that then she 
would go to the king and see if he would spare their lives. 

On the third day Queen Esther put on her royal apparel and went 
to see the king. She must have been a brave and good woman to 
do this. 

When the king saw Esther he held out the golden scepter, that 
was in his hand. Esther knew by this that the king would not let her 
be killed. She then heard the king say, "What can I do for you. 
Queen Esther? You shall have whatever you desire, even to the half 
of my kingdom." 

Esther answered that she would like to have Haman and the king 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 303 

come to a feast she had prepared for them. This pleased the king, 
and he told Haman to make haste; and they both went to the feast. 

While they were feasting, the king told Esther to make known 
her request, but she told him to wait until the next day, and then she 
would prepare another feast, and if the king and Haman would come, 
she would tell all that was in her heart. 

Haman was filled with pride to think that he alone was bidden 
to eat with the king and queen. When he went away from there, he 
•expected every one to bow to him, but Mordecai did not. 

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Haman Is Found Otit* 

HAMAN had much to tell his friends about the kindness of the 
king and queen, and what a great man he was getting to be. 

He told also of the disrespect shown him by Mordecai the Jew, 
and said that it made him very unhappy to see him sitting at the 
king's gate. 

Haman 's wife said it would be a good plan to prepare a gallows 
in the yard and the next morning to speak to the king and have 
Mordecai the Jew hanged upon it. 

But on the same night that Haman was preparing to hang 
Mordecai the king was so troubled that he could not sleep. And he 
sent for the large book in which was written all that happened in the 
realm, and had it read to him. 

When he who read came to the part which told what Mordecai 
had done to save the king's life, the king said, ''What honor has been 
done to reward Mordecai for this?" And the man said, ''Nothing 
has been done.'' 

Just then a step was heard near the door, and the king sent to 
know who it was. Now, it was Haman coming to ask that he might 
hang Mordecai on the gallows which he had made. As soon as the 
king knew who it was, he said, "Let him come in." 

"So Haman came in. And the king said unto him. What shall be 



304 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor? Now Haman 
thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honor 
more than to myself! 

'^And Haman auswered the king, For tlie man whom the king 
delighteth to honor, let the royal apparel be brought which the king 
useth to wear, and the horse that the king ridetli upon, and the crown 
royal which is set upon his head: and let this apparel and horse be 
delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they 
may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honor, and 
bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim 
before him. Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth 
to honor. 

^^Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take apparel and 
the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that 
sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. 

"Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed 
Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the 
city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man 
whom the king delighteth to honor. 

"And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted 
to his house mourning, and having his head covered." Esther 6: 6-12. 

When Haman told his wife and friends what had taken place^ 
they said, "If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou 
hast begun to fall, thou shalt'not prevail against him, but shalt surely 
fall before him." And they were still speaking about the matter 
when the men came to say that Esther's feast was ready. 

Haman surely did not feel as happy as he had felt the day before 
when he came to Esther's feast. 

While they were eating, the king asked Esther to tell him what 
she wished to have him do for her. Then the queen said : " If I have 
found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life 
be given me at my petition, and my people at my request : for we are 
sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish." 

The king asked who had dared to do this thing, and Esther told 




20 



MORDECAI IS HONORED. 



306 BEAUTIFUL SmElES ..^v .^.^^. ..._..:. ^. 

him it was Haman. Then Haman was afraid and began to under- 
stand why he had been asked to the feast. 

The king then in anger arose and went outside. There he saw 
the gallows which Haman had prepared to hang Mordecai upon, and 
he said to hang Haman instead. This was done, and the king gave 
all that belonged to Haman into Queen Esther's hands. 

Mordecai was given Haman 's place in the palace, for Esther had 
told what he was to her. 

The king said he could not change the law that had been made 
to kill the Jews, but if Esther and Mordecai could think of any way 
to save them, they might have the power to do so. 

So Mordecai sent word to all the Jews that the king had given 
them the right to fight for their lives. Quite a number were killed 
on both sides, but the Lord helped the Jews. 

Mordecai became such a great man that the captains and lieu- 
tenants, were afraid to displease him, and so the Jews continued to 
defeat their enemies, and after a while they ceased fighting. 

The Jews were so happy and their hearts so full of joy and glad- 
ness that they made a great feast. Mordecai called this feast Purim, 
and said they must have a feast every year on that day. And this 
feast was kept year after year in remembrance of their fasting and 
crying. 

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Kixi^ Jestis. 

YOU will be glad to hear that the Jews determined to worship 
idols no more. But although they did not worship idols, they did not 
love God with all their hearts ; so they did a great many other wicked 
things. 

Among those who returned to Jerusalem, and also among those 
who remained in Persia were a few who really loved God. 

God sent them prophets sometimes to teach them and put them in 
mind of a promise that he had made years before to Abraham. The 



FROM THE GOOD OLD BOOK. 307 

promise was that some day a Savior should be born, who should be 
their king forever. God had made the same promise to David, and 
had said that this Savior should be one of David's descendants. 

Some of the Jews thought ver}^ often of this promise and longed 
for the Savior to be bom into the world. They knew that he would 
be born in Bethlehem, where David was born, because the prophets 
had said that he should be born there; and they knew that he would 
come from the family of David, for the prophets had said so; and 
they Imew that he would be King of the Jews and of all people, for 
this the prophets had also said. 

And now I will close these stories with the wonderful story of 
Jesus. Jesus was the Savior that the prophets had said was to come. 

The Jews were looking for him, it is true ; but some of them were 
proud, and were looking for a Messiah, or a great king, to come down 
to them out of the clouds, or after some such manner. But God had 
never said the Savior would come in this way. 

Now, there was a young woman whose name was Mary. She 
lived in the town of Nazareth, a city about sixty miles from Jerusalem. 
She had promised to marry a very good man named Joseph. 

One day an angel came to her and said, ''Hail, thou art highly 
favored; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.'' 
Mary was afraid and did not understand what the angel meant ; so he 
told her again. 

This angel's name was Gabriel. He told Mary that a son should 
be born to her, and that she should call his name Jesus, and that Jesus 
should be called the Son of God, and should be the King the Jews 
were looking for to sit upon the throne of David. 

Mary believed all the angel said; and when he departed, she 
went away to visit her cousin Elizabeth. It was a long journey; but 
God cared for Mary, and she arrived at her cousin's safely. 

As soon as Elizabeth saw Mary, she said, ''Blessed art thou 
among women. How is it that the mother of my Lord should come 

to me?" 

Then Mary saw that Elizabeth knew about the babe that was 



308 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

promised to her. And Mary said such beautiful words. She said, 
''My soul doth magnify the Lord; for he liatli regarded the low estate 
of his handmaiden." 

How humble Mary was ! She spoke of herself as being low. She 
did not think herself great or good, even though she was to be the 
mother of the Son of God. 

Mary made a long visit with her cousin Elizabeth, and then 
returned to her old home in Nazareth. Soon she made another long 
journey, this time with Joseph, her husband. 

Every one in those days had to be taxed; that is, they had to pay 
money to the king and have their names written down. And because 
Mary and Joseph were descended from David they went to Bethlehem, 
the city of David's birth, to be taxed. 

When they arrived at Bethlehem, they went to the inn, or hotel; 
but there was no room for them. Then they went into the stable 
among the oxen. And it was in this humble place that the babe 
was born. 

Mary had clothes ready for it, such as they used in those days, 
but she had no cradle. So she laid him in the manger. 

No one knew what a glorious babe was born. There were some 
shepherds watching their sheep in a field. While these men were caring 
for their sheep, a gj*eat light suddenly shone around them. They 
were very much afraid, but an angel said to them, "Fear not: for, 
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all 
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, 
which is Christ the Lord." And the angel said they would find the 
babe lying in a manger in the town of Bethlehem. 

And suddenly they heard a multitude of angels singing and prais 
ing God. The angels said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good will toward men." 

As soon as the singing was ended and the angels gone, the shep- 
herds said, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see the babe." God directed 
them so that they soon found Mary and Joseph and the manger where 
Jesus was. 




JESUS IS BORN IN BETHLEHEM. 



310 BEAUTIFUL STORIES 

Oh how lovingly these men looked down at the tiny child! for 
they realized he was God's Son, the King of the Jews. They told 
Mary that angels had told them where to find the child, and they told 
many others, who at the time wondered at these things. Mary thought 
of these things many times, and could see God's hand in many ways. 

Do you think the Jews accepted Jesus for their king? Some of 
them did, but most of the Jews were too proud. Although some of the 
Jews did not like Jesus, or want him to be their King, yet he was 
their King just the same. 

It was through their treating Jesus as they did that God made it 
possible for the lost tribes of Israel and every other nation in the world 
to own his dear Son as their Savior and King. This was the way he 
came to be our Savior. 

You remember it was Adam's sin in the garden of Eden that 
brought the curse of sin upon the whole world. 

God was very good to the people, and sent his dear Son Jesus 
down here to give his life (for the Jews who refused to take Jesus as 
their King, hated him, and put him to death). 

But it was God's plan that Jesus should die, so that all who would 
might be saved from their sins through his blood. He died for all 
who would accept him. 

Jesus always loved little children, and they can receive his salva- 
tion the same as older persons. 

When children have been doing things that they know to be 
wrong, such as telling lies, or taking things that do not belong to them, 
and doing other things that the Word of God says not to do, a sad 
feeling comes over them. These bad things are sins, and sin dis- 
pleases the Lord. Whenever the children are sorry and ask God in 
Jesus' name to forgive them, he will, and he will take away all the 
sin out of their hearts and give them real peace and joy instead. 

Children can be happy little Christians, and when they die go to 
heaven, where they will see Jesus their king, and live with the holy 
angels forever. 



FROM TEE GOOD OLD BOOK, 



311 



Little children, you have heard 
Out of God's dear, precious Word 

Stories true, 

Telling you 
How things years ago occurred. 

And you've oft heard of the land 
Where God sent his chosen band 

To employ 

And enjoy 
Ev'rything as he had planned. 

And you've heard, my children dear. 
Stories sad, and stories queer, 

How God's care 

Of them there 
Filled the hearts of foes with fear. 



Now .this same God cares for you, 
Notes each act, and saying, too. 

When at play, 

All the day. 
Watches ev'rything you do. 

In a book both large and great 
God has written children's fate; 

And he'll read 

Ev'ry deed 
When they meet at heaven's gate. 

Little children, then beware 
That no action when placed there 

Bar you out 

When about 
Heaven 's land to claim a share. 



THE END. 




^ ILLUSTRATIONS ^ 




PAGE 

Daniel in the Den of Lions Frontispiece 

Adam and Eve Among the Animals 18 

Driven from the Beautiful Garden 21 

The Death of Abel 23 

The Ark 25 

The Return of the Dove 27 

Noah 's Sacrifice and the Rainbow 29 

The Tower of Babel 31 

The Strife of the Herdsmen 32 

Abraham Meets Melchizedek 33 

Fleeing from Sodom 36 

Abraham and Isaac 38 

The Angel Appearing- to Abraham 39 

Rebecca at the Well 43 

Jacob 's Dream 49 

Jacob Meets His Uncle Laban 51 

Jacob Wrestles with the Angel 52 

The Young Dreamer 53 

Joseph Sold by His Brethren 57 

Joseph in Prison 58 

Telling the King 's Dream 60 

Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brethren 63 

Joseph Introducing His Father to Pharaoh 65 

The Finding of Moses 70 

Israel 's Suffering in Egypt 71 

Moses at the Burning Bush 75 

Aaron 's Rod Becomes a Serpent 81 

The Sprinkling of Blood 85 

313 



314 ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The Passover 86 

Israel Passing through the Red Sea 89 

The Egyptians Drown in the Red Sea 91 

Striking the Rock 93 

Aaron and Hur Hokl Up the Hands of Moses 95 

The Ten Commandments 97 

Moses Beholding Israel 's Sin 99 

The Tabernacle 101 

The High Priest in the Holiest of Holies 102 

The Spies Return from Canaan 107 

Aaron 's Rod that Budded 113 

Balaam Meets the Angel 121 

Crossing the Jordan 129 

Marching Around Jericho 132 

Aclian Confesssing His Sin 135 

Joshua Builds an Altar in Mount Ebal 138 

The City of Refuge 147 

Gideon and the Fleece of Wool 155 

Gideon and His Army 157 

Slaying the Lion -. 161 

Samson Slays the Philistines 163 

Delilah Discovers the Source of Samson 's Strength 165 

Samson Captured hy the Philistines 167 

Blind Samson 169 

Samson Making Sport for the Philistines 171 

Naomi Leaving the Land of Moab 173 

The Gleaning in the Field 174 

Hannah Praying before the Lord 175 

Hannah Brings Samuel to the Lord's House 177 

Samuel Hears the Voice of God 179 

Samuel Tells Eli God's Message 180 

Death of Eli 181 

Return of the Ark 185 

Saul Anointed by Samuel 189 

David Slays a Lion 198 

David Gathering Pebbles from the Brook 199 

The Anointing of David for King 205 

David Playing on His Harp before Saul 207 

David Slays the Giant 209 



ILLUSTRATIONS 315 

PAGE 

The Two Friends 213 

David and Saul in the Cave 214 

David Cursed by Shimei 223 

Elijah Asking Food of the Widow 241 

The Widow Prepares Food for Elijah . . .;. 243 

Elijah Fed by the Ravens ". 248 

God Sending Food to Elijah 249 

Elisha Is Called to Be a Prophet 253 

Elijah Goes up to Heaven 255 

Bears Eat the Wicked Children 256 

Naaman Bathes in the River 259 

The Little Captive Maid 261 

Jonah and the Great Fish 263 

Jonah Warns the People of Nineveh 265 

Hezekiah Laying the Letter before God 271 

The Jews in Captivity 277 

Four Brave Boys 281 

The Hand Writing on the Wall 291 

Building of the New Temple at Jerusalem 297 

Esther, the Beautiful Queen 300 

Mordecai Is Honored 305 

Jesus Is Bom in Bethlehem 309 




f 




11 



'* 



Gil) urn FOR THE mUMl 




A Child's Story 
of the Bible. 

278 pages. Price 40c 

Bound in cloth. 72 full-page engravings. 
Placed in the hands of a child, it will give 

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WOOD'S 
/Natural History. 



Cloth, stamped in colors. Price 40c 

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I BOOKS FOE CHILDREN I 



A Child's 
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Bound in cloth, and stamped in colors. 

49 full-page engravings. Size, 5x6 14 inches. 

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PILGRIM'S • 
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148 pages. Price 



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; Lettersop'Love^Counsel I 
for "Our Girls." 




BY JENNIE C. RUTTY. 



331 pages. Price, paper, 35c. ; clotli. .$1.00 






"A collection of letters on subjects of 
vital importance to growing girls, "written 
in a tender, personal way that appeals to 
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BOY'S COMPANION. 



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This is a book intended especially for boys 
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Mothers^ Counsel 

to Their Sons* 



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Food for 
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BY CHARLES E. ORE. 

Price, cloth, 40 cents. 
Illustrated. 



It is a work written for the help and 
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